Pond of No Return
by Zoe-eoZ
Summary: An AU Benzo Story... Bonnie Bennett tries out for establishing a rare mind-bond, the one advantage her people have over their enemies. What she is not expecting, however, is that she'll bond with an enemy soldier: Enzo St. John... REWRITTEN AND REPOSTED AS: ELECTRUM
1. In the beginning

_This is a bit of an experiment. A dystopian, possibly fantasy elements including, AU._

 _I know, I know. WHY?!_

 _I just couldn't get this idea out of my head. I'm strangely excited about it._

 _A few warnings apply:_

 _\- I don't know whether I'll be able to give this a decent ending (well, I didn't know that about any of my other stories, either...). It seems like a bit of a daunting undertaking right now, just because it's so different. - UPDATE: happy to announce that it will have an ending, whether it's decent... I'll leave you to judge. Story will be completed on 10/31/2017._

 _\- It IS way different than what I usually write. It's AU. You could argue I basically just used Kat Graham's and Michael Malarkey's awesome onscreen chemistry and put them into an entirely different context._

 _\- The story needs more "worldbuilding" than usual, since the universe is different than the usual Mystic Falls setting we already know from the show. And, frankly, I might suck at that a lot... But. As the story unfolds, it comes more into its own._

 _\- This, then, is a Benzo story. And I mean that. They'll be the main focus. I'll leave out a lot of stuff I'd normally put in to focus more on them. Less side characters, less explanations in the background._

 _\- Damon is in this, too. There's a strong Bamon friendship here. I didn't put him in the "character list," however so this time no one feels "cheated" again, or that I'm roping them into something this is not._

 _\- Again: it's Benzo, Bonenzo: Bonnie and Enzo. My (our...) favorite OTP. It'll be a slow burn..._ _Without giving too many spoilers: there'll be some "higher-than-T" stuff in here._

 _And Delena will probably take a dark turn..._

 _If even just one person besides myself gets any enjoyment out of this, it'll be worth posting this weird thing here. So..._ _I'll be testing the waters with this first chapter._

 _If you do give this a chance, I'd be so happy to hear from you. Whether it's good or bad, whether I lost you or roped you in. Or even just one right at the end there, telling me you were here. :)_

 _But now, enough empty words. On with the story..._

* * *

 _..._

* * *

 ** _Pond of no Return_**

 **The Story of Silver and Gold**

 **...**

"But of bliss and glad life there is little to be said, before it ends; as works fair and wonderful, while they still endure for eyes to see, are ever their own record, and only when they are in peril or broken for ever do they pass into song."

 _J.R.R. Tolkien, The Silmarilion_

* * *

 _"_ Everything falls apart, but not ever part of every thing, at least not at the same time."

 _Paul Auster, In the Country of Last Things_

* * *

...

* * *

...

The little pond outside was in turmoil under the downpour, hard drops piercing its usually calm surface with such force that Bonnie could see the water splashing up.

The world outside was drowning, and she felt like she had to hold her breath. Yet she still wished to be out there rather than in the dry warmth of the small cabin she was sitting in. She wished she could feel the rain on her skin, in her hair. She just wanted to be anywhere but here.

With a sigh, she turned her attention back toward what was happening - or what was _supposed_ to be happening - inside the cabin, while the oblivious rain continued pattering down on the roof above her. She tried hard to concentrate on the sound, to clear her mind, to focus. But it was so difficult.

This all felt too ridiculous. She was sure she wasn't meant for this. For any of it. She was not one of the special ones. The chosen ones.

She was simply Bonnie Bennett, a young Golden woman. 25 years old, orphan, single, and anything but special.

…

But society didn't care whether you thought you were not elligible. They didn't care whether you wanted to try out or not. You _had_ to.

During the obligatory Preparation classes - that she had attended just like all other Golden citizens between the ages of 20 and 25 - she had been told about the chances of being one of the "lucky ones" that would go on to become part of a powerful mind-bond, and thus play an important role in the war between their people, the Golden, and their enemy, the Silveren.

Bonnie really didn't think of it as "lucky" at all, but of course she couldn't say that out loud. In times of war, patriotism meant everything. And calling the mind-bond business anything other than a fortunate advantage and great chance to help the cause, was considered treasonous.

...

So here she was, at the Pond of No Return, finally actively trying her luck at establishing such a link.

She was getting more and more frustrated, however, because nothing had really prepared her at all for this. What was she even supposed to be doing? She groaned to herself, squeezing her eyes shut, begging the world to just let it be over already. Let her be done and free of this crap.

Why had it even been called Preparation, when nothing she'd learned there had prevented her from being ridiculously, glaringly unprepared in the face of her tryout? She had absolutely no idea how to even _try_ to get her mind to latch onto someone else's.

She harrumphed loudly and opened her eyes. "I can't feel anything," she announced and her best friend Damon shook his head, eyebrows raised high.

"You gotta concentrate, Bon," he advised her, rather unhelpful, she found.

"I'm trying, Damon," she grumbled, annoyed, but he wasn't having any of it. She felt his light touch on her shoulder, felt his breath against her cheek as he got really close to her, and she shivered involuntarily. If only he knew that he was making it even harder for her that way. But of course she couldn't tell him. She chewed on her lip, forcing herself to wipe the unbidden thoughts and feelings away that had started washing over her as soon as she'd felt his touch.

Why couldn't she just get over him already? He'd _never_ \- not in a million years - reciprocate her love.

"Try harder," he was breathing into her ear, the air tickling her, and she tilted her head a little to evade him. "It can take a while."

Slowly but surely, frustration made room for anger. It was not working. She felt absolutely nothing! She didn't know what she was doing, or what she was even supposed to be doing! Would she just have to sit here forever? Trying and trying until something happened?

"What the hell am I supposed to concentrate on?!" She threw the words at Damon, because she had to get them out. "There's nothing there! I told you!" she yelled, staring at her best friend, but he surprised her with a genuine smile.

"I've been there, Bon Bon," he said, kneeling in front of her, looking up, a hand on her knee, "Believe me, I get it. We all know that I'm not exactly known for my great self control and, uh, patience…" He wagged his eyebrows, then suddenly turned serious again. He took her hands in his, another very un-Damon thing to do, and she gave him a quizzical look.

"I know this sucks. If I could give you any pointers, I would, but it's just not how this works. Otherwise they'd have told us all that in Preparation."

"I know," she muttered, but her frustration was still clouding everything else. She wanted this to be over. "I just don't think I'm meant for this. Maybe I simply don't have it in me…" she trailed off. Maybe this wasn't working because, deep down, she didn't want it to. Maybe the problem wasn't that she wasn't link-material, maybe the problem was that she didn't _want_ to be… What if anybody found out?

"Give it another try. Another chance. You'll see. I found my link with Elena pretty much out of nowhere. Suddenly we both just… felt it."

Bonnie rolled her eyes. Sometimes Damon and Elena were just a little too saccharine sweet and perfect. They were like soulmates. And the link, that had just been the cherry on top.

She stopped herself right there. Thinking about the two of them together was just not healthy. Given that Elena was also her best friend, she really felt awkward about being so… unhappy about their love, and jealous of their relationship. What kind of friend she was…

"You got this, Bon. I just _know_ you're meant for a link, too."

"Thanks," she gritted out, glaring at Damon at hearing his enthusiasm for something she couldn't feel herself. "That helps me so incredibly much." But she did close her eyes again and wiggled down in her chair to get a little more comfortable. "Alright," she announced, "one last try…"

…

* * *

...

 _It was so cold his body had started shaking heavily to keep itself warm, to no avail. It was freezing,_ he _was freezing, and it took everything for him to stay on his horse as it was trying desperately to get him out of there._

 _His brain felt fuzzy, his thoughts sluggish, but deep down, he comprehended how dire his situation was, how hopeless. They'd soon catch him. And despite his one advantage, in his current state he'd hardly be able to put up much of a fight._

 _He hung on to the horse with one arm, the other one slack and too heavy just hanging down._

 _No. He was no threat to anyone._

 _He had one chance. He needed to evade them somehow, or hide._

 _With a deep inhalation, he forced his heels into the horses flanks, making the poor animal accelerate its gallop one last time._

 _Only one chance…_

 _They would never let someone like him live. Never._

...

* * *

…

The bonds were a strange business. Bonnie was highly aware of that. At least Preparation had managed to convey _that_ much. (Which was still pathetically little.)

Nobody knew how and when the first bonds had even been established. It was still a somewhat recent development, a leap, a genetic mutation evading any grasp of research, a rare trait that needed some coaxing to even surface. At some point the bonds had simply been _there_...

And it was their one advantage over the Silveren armies with their horrible _Eternal_ _Weapons_.

When you bonded your mind with someone else's, you were bonded to them forever. You shared your thoughts and feelings, you were always in each other's heads, you were never alone, you became one. Mindmates. Soulmates.

Many Golden glorified it, romanticized it. It was something they all talked about. It was a big deal among the young, the high schoolers. The ones old enough to be in a relationship or dream of one.

When Bonnie and her girlfriends had talked about boys, and girls, and dating, and future husbands and wives, most of them had hoped to be part of such a bond. They had wished for it, daydreamed about it. Then, when Elena had _actually_ gotten what they had all begged for, Bonnie had, for the first time, started to question their dreams.

It had all gone downhill from there. Gone were the romantic notions of never having to be alone again and always having somebody who truly understood you, shared even your weirdest thoughts. They had been replaced by something way darker.

What if she could never hide any of her thoughts again? What if she'd get a link-partner and they'd inform the world about her forbidden feelings for one Damon Salvatore? What would they think if they saw the life versions she'd come up with in her head, where Elena died a terrible death, got cursed to sleep an eternal sleep, leaving poor Damon all alone, with only Bonnie there to pick up the pieces and slowly put him back together?

It sounded terrifying to her! Like she'd never have any privacy again. She could be judged for merely _thinking_ stupid things, without even having any intention of doing anything wrong.

But she'd always known this day would come. Once you turned 25, you _had_ to try out for your very own connection. It was something they taught you from the moment you were born.

Because the links were their best weapon in the long and gruesome war they'd been fighting against their enemies, the Silveren armies, for well on an eternity now. They were their best way to communicate over long distances, to infiltrate the enemy forces, to spy on them, to always be one step ahead.

It was a blessing and an honor to be part of something so profound. Yet for Bonnie it felt more and more like she was dooming herself.

Still… Not everyone was link-material, few people actually were. Maybe Bonnie was not one of them.

Or maybe she was just a passive partner, like Elena. Damon had been the one actively establishing their connection, and she had somehow just known how to accept it. And live with it.

If Bonnie was completely honest, she'd never paid enough attention at Preparation. It had seemed too ridiculous, too improbable to her that she would ever end up in a link-relationship anyways. So why care?

But now she was of the right age, the age where your mind "opened itself up" the widest. Uh huh… Right. Even now it still sounded like a fairy tale to her, like something some crazy lunatics had come up with to indoctrinate the masses with a sense of false hope.

Because that's what it was, wasn't it? False hope. From the news she knew that they weren't doing too well in that stupid war. California, Nevada, New Mexico, Mexico, and Arizona had all long fallen to the enemy. Even Washington, Oregon and British Columbia were almost lost. The west was in enemy hands, and no link or bond or whatever you wanted to call it had prevented that from happening.

If it weren't for Damon and Elena, her closest friends, she'd have continued doubting that those links even really existed.

They were very rare, after all, and very highly regarded. But also a little mythical.

Yet here she was, actually trying to open her own mind wide and let someone in - or find someone to establish a bond with.

If it worked, she'd never be completely alone in her head again. The thought was mind-boggling. Part of her wanted to run from it, far away. But that was not a choice. They'd find her, and they didn't take kindly to people that were unwilling to try out and thus help the Golden empire.

 _They_ …

Politicians. The military. Dark circles of influential women and men.

Bonnie was no soldier like Damon. She didn't know half of it, and she'd prefer to stay on the sidelines, as far away from the war as possible. If she ended up finding a link-partner, however, that passiveness would all be in the past. She shivered at the thought.

She didn't want to infiltrate the enemy with her potential partner and find out everything about their tactics, or whatever else they'd ask of her, make her do...

She didn't even understand why they were fighting anymore! The war was so old, the soldiers so worn out. Did anybody really still know what had started it? And why they couldn't just sit down and end it already?

She huffed, jolting herself back to the present. The rain had not let up.

"Alright," she sighed. "It's not working." She looked over to Damon and started to hoist herself up and off the chair.

"Come on, Bon. You didn't even give it a chance."

"I did! Besides, I don't even know whether I want this at all! Wh… what if the person I'd link up with was a total douche and we wouldn't get along at all, or-"

"Bonnie Bennett. Shh," Damon started, looking alarmed at her outburst. If anybody else had heard her she could have gotten in trouble…

But she never heard the rest of his words because right then, she felt the most peculiar sensation. A reaching out, a searching, like her mind had grown tendrils of thoughts and emotions, floating out of her, and up. Or down. She couldn't tell, it was so… weird. She made a small gasping noise, clutching the armrest of the chair, slowly letting herself fall back into it. Everything seemed to happen of its own accord. Was this it? Was this what they all had been talking about?

Or was she just going crazy, losing her connection to sanity? She had gotten way too little sleep lately, so that was probably it. This all did rather feel like the spiraling down she sometimes experienced when her mind was falling asleep, but slower than the rest of her body. Surely, she'd be jolted back out of it any second now that she had noticed it.

But that moment never came.

Bonnie's eyes were pointed upward toward the roof, but her stare was blank, seeing nothing. Until...

… she suddenly "touched" something else, felt her mind connect, a searing, sucking sensation that she wanted to stop.

Her mind was struggling hard. It fought to make a connection to whatever it had encountered. Bonnie felt like a mere witness, unable to control any of it, she was just somehow _there_.

She was met with a rather startling and powerful resistance.

"Is this normal?" she asked, panting. She was getting slightly panicky. Small beads of sweat appeared on her forehead, as she felt an uncomfortable heat creep into her body. "This is too difficult. I don't think I can do this. They're… they're fighting so hard!"

"Keep going," she heard Damon's reassuring voice. Sonorous, calm. He'd always had the power to soothe her, but for some reason it wasn't working so well right now. She was terrified. This did not seem right at all. "You're almost there," Damon was saying, and she tried hard to concentrate on his words. "Elena wasn't too pleased at first, either. It can be quite disturbing for the passive partner to have somebody enter their mind," Damon explained, but it didn't calm Bonnie one bit. Instead, she was starting to get positively scared.

Suddenly, there was a new feeling, an immense pain, washing over her. But strangely, she knew that it wasn't hers.

 _It wasn't hers…_

She was hurting the other person. "Oh no…" she made, and she tried to sever her mind from whatever - whoever - it had connected with, though she quickly realized that she couldn't.

She had no chance but to fight on until the link was properly established, ignoring the other's fight and revulsion.

"Can't I stop this somehow, Damon?" she pleaded, looking at him, but barely seeing, "I don't think this is the right person. Something's wrong. They're really really fighting me…"

She felt his hand on her leg again. She grabbed it, hard, he didn't seem to mind.

"Once your mind has started the process, it can't be reversed. You gotta do everything in your power to work on that connection now, Bon. If you don't succeed…" Damon trailed off. But he didn't need to say more. She perfectly remembered that lecture during Preparation. There was no going back. If something went wrong and the link didn't get completed, both partners would die.

"I can't do this much longer, Damon. How long is this supposed to take?" It was bewildering how taxing this all was. She was physically exhausted, as if she was running the last few miles of a marathon.

"It should be done soon." He still sounded soothing, but she was too distracted to feel it.

"You said Elena didn't like it at first either, but… was she actively struggling?"

"Uh…"

Great, Damon's non-reply was answer enough. "Oh gosh, this is so wrong," she said, her eyes wide and white. She felt her body start to shake, and she squeezed her eyes shut to focus on her strange task.

"Please, Damon, make it stop!" She suddenly yelled as the pain grew and grew, overwhelming her. She clutched his hand so hard her knuckles turned white and he flinched in pain.

"Bonnie! Bon!"

In that moment, the sensation rolled over her like a wave, roaring in her ears louder than thunder, louder than the rain outside, and she slumped over in her chair, losing consciousness as she did.

…

* * *

...

 _He was just about to give in to the pull of gravity, letting his body roll off the horse's back and into the harsh snow underneath, not caring anymore whether they were still on his tracks or not, when a searing pain shot through his temples and deep into his head and he let go of the horse to clutch at it, falling off way harder than planned as he did._

 _Agony. Worse than the pain in his arm had ever been. This was… What_ was _this?!_

 _Was this death? Hypothermia?_

 _He couldn't think clearly. There was a jumble of foreign feeling thoughts and emotions, too much. Too much for him to process._

 _It needed to stop._

 _Stop!_

…

* * *

…

When Bonnie came to, the first thing she saw was Damon's worried face. "Hey, you all right?" He whispered, one hand on her arm. She closed her eyes, then opened them again.

Her blurry vision slowly improved and she noticed Elena sitting next to her partner - and boyfriend. Their worried expressions made her smile a small smile. These two had been there for her always. Through everything. It was good to have them with her now that whatever had happened had happened.

"Yeah," she replied, rubbing her hands over her face wearily, slowly pulling herself into a sitting position from the gurney someone had put her on. "I'm… okay, I guess. What happened?"

"You passed out."

"Thanks, Captain Obvious. I got that much."

It was Elena's turn to speak. "Damon told me about your struggle… your partner put up quite the fight, huh? I mean, I thought _I_ had been resistant when he first 'attacked'", she air quoted, "my mind, but… this was something else." She paused, helping Bonnie to stand. Then she looked at her curiously and asked, "So, who is your partner?"

Bonnie was puzzled. She frowned at Elena, scoffing. "Am I supposed to know that?"

Elena stared at her, her own frown in place, and she gently touched Bonnie's forehead as if to see whether she had a fever. "Uh, yeah."

"Huh," Bonnie made, honestly confused, "I guess I didn't manage to do it after all then," she said, but Damon laughed at her like she was being dense.

"You'd be dead by now if you hadn't succeeded, Bon."

Elena made a face at him, then returned her attention to her best friend. A little softer, she told her, "You're probably just not used to the link yet."

But Bonnie wasn't so sure. To her it felt like something had gone wrong. This didn't feel like anything she'd been told in Preparation. There was no feeling of completeness.

And she had no idea who her partner was.

"This is all so wrong," she said, feeling a sob threaten to rise in her throat. She bit down hard to stifle it.

"Well," Damon sighed. "Maybe they are just unconscious, like you were. I'm sure it'll all be fine once they're up," he chirped, always one for taking things lightly. "So, welcome to the club! Let's get you set up. And tomorrow you'll start some basic training on how to use your bond, so you'll soon be able to help us win this war against the freaking Silvers."

Bonnie stared at him. She was starting to feel even more uncomfortable. Hugging herself for comfort, she dared to ask just one question.

"What do you think I… _we_ will have to do?"

Damon patted her shoulder lightly, pulling her against his side, a too familiar gesture. Too comfortable. She wished she could just give in to that hug and never let go. She needed him right now, more than ever. Yet she couldn't have him. Not ever…

"One of you might have to infiltrate the Silveren Armies," Damon started explaining, unaware of her thoughts, and she shivered at the idea.

"What if my partner doesn't want to work with me, though?"

Elena and Damon both laughed. "That won't happen," Elena assured her, "They might be a bit confused and reluctant at first. But usually that goes away pretty quickly and you two will learn to enjoy being linked. It can be quite the comforting feeling to know that someone is always there for you, just a thought away." The two smiled at her, then at each other. Bonnie could see their love for each other so clearly that she felt a pang of jealousy.

Would she really have that? With someone that was still a total stranger to her?

She wanted that. She really did. But she doubted anyone could ever understand her crooked thoughts and feelings. And she simply didn't want to share _everything_.

"I hope you're right," she mumbled, then suddenly grabbed Elena's arm.

"Bonnie?"

Someone was stabbing her mind with a single thought.

 _Reverse this! Leave me alone!_

It was so strong, she felt like she was going to topple over.

"Bonnie. Bon. Are you okay? Is it your link?" Elena looked at her, worry and excitement in her face.

But Bonnie couldn't say anything. She was too focused on the stranger in her mind.

 _Reverse what you have done!_ It boomed in her head.

 _But… I can't_! She yelled, though it was only in her mind, and Damon and Elena stared at her, worriedly, while she was in another sphere.

That link, it didn't feel like it was fully formed at all. She could distinctly feel another one's presence, though it was merely touching hers at the edges. They didn't seem to be completely merged at all. This was not anything like what she'd been told it would be.

 _You have to_. The voice in her head - it was a male voice - suddenly sounded so desperate, so weary that it pained her.

 _It's not possible,_ she whined, _I'm so sorry, but… didn't you pay attention in Preparation at all? Once a link is formed, it can't be reversed. We live and we die together._

 _The fuck is preparation?_

The response came as a shock. Bonnie gasped.

 _What? Are you…_ This was not happening. Alarmed, she looked to Damon, then Elena, who both gave her a puzzled stare, before she turned back to her link partner internally and quietly asked, _Who are you?_

 _You_ _are a freaking Golden, aren't you?_ Then, as if to himself, she heard him say (or think?), _Fucking atrocious luck._

Her throat constricted. A horrible feeling of doom washed over her that made her knees weak and wobbly. "Are you _not_ a Golden?"

But her partner never got a chance to reply. Because right then Bonnie heard something - it was so close to her ear as if she had been right there - she heard _someone_ yell, "Freeze, you bastard! - Lorenzo St. John, the Golden Army takes you prisoner. - Lieutenant, take his Eternal Weapon away from him!"

Then she felt a searing pain, all the way up to her elbow, and she passed out again.


	2. Two sides

_Thank you so much for giving this a chance, you all!_

 _Juno: happy to hear from you. I kinda had you in mind when posting this. :)_

 _Jade: that is too funny! So it was just meant to happen. Hopefully, you'll like this. It may not quite be what you had in mind, but at least we do have the "enemies" storyline, and we have Enzo on a horse. I don't know about you, but I certainly felt like he'd look really good on a horse. :) (And yeeees. I was completely unprepared for those sensitivities. My bad.)_

 _kpmindc: thanks for being awesomely encouraging._

 _jannay: thanks! I hope the story will develop alright._

 _I'm trying to keep the chapters a little shorter this time. (For those of you brave enough to have read RAGNARÖK, those chapters sure were a bit long...)_

 _On we go!_

* * *

...

When he saw them approach, out of a foggy haze that he wasn't sure was even there or just conjured up by his fuzzy brain and tired eyes, he thought for a moment they weren't real. That he was dead already.

He grinned incredulously, still baffled at what was going on in his head, and he was certain the cold had frozen his mind, had made him go crazy.

None of this could be happening.

No.

"Lorenzo St. John, the Golden Army takes you prisoner," one of the figures was exclaiming when they had gotten so close that he had no doubt anymore that they were indeed real, and he scoffed. Of course they knew who he was.

There was no hiding that… He looked down at his weapon's arm, gleaming in the snowy white of the winter day, and sighed. He had better prepare himself for yet more pain.

They'd make him take the weapon off, or, more likely, they'd tear it off of him, and he knew the pain too well that would wash over him once it was not connected to him anymore. He doubted they'd allow him to use the bandage. They'd surely confiscate it along with the weapon, trying to get behind the secret of the Eternals.

And what would they do with him?

Experiments. Torture.

He clenched his jaw. He knew the rules. Weapon bearers were far and few. No one was to ever capture them alive. He knew what he had to do.

He had to kill himself. He couldn't allow the enemy to get him alive.

Farewell then, strange girl that had invaded his brain. It didn't matter anymore whether she was real or not, she'd soon be gone. Or rather, _he_ would…

He dragged his heavy left arm up, ready to strike against anyone who got to him, then pulled a small dagger out of his pocket with his free hand. He took a deep breath of the icy cold air, felt it burn in his lungs, then brought his right arm up to his chest swiftly, starting to plunge the dagger into his heart.

He felt a shooting pain as the blade bit into him, when suddenly, a white hot pain shot through his head once more. A feeling of alien panic and revulsion coursed through him, incapacitating in their intensity, and before he could tighten his grip on the dagger once more and try to finish his gruesome duty, a strong hand had already grabbed his arms, stopping his movements, flinging both weapons away from him.

As the pain in his left arm exploded, even more severe than the one in his head, he fell to his knees, unaware he was yelling, before finally, unconsciousness darkened the too bright world around him, and everything just stopped.

…

* * *

…

It was a few days later that they finally tracked Bonnie's partner down. They'd had enough clues to go on.

Prisoner of war. Even a name. It hadn't been difficult at all.

What had been difficult for Bonnie, however, was coming to terms with the fact that somehow, the impossible had happened.

She had linked herself to an enemy soldier.

Preparation had been very clear there. Only the Golden were able to establish mind links.

The Golden and the Silveren had long changed into two quite separate types of mankind. When the Old World had collapsed after the Last War, when the land had been devastated, old technologies vanished, the old hierarchies broken and gone, the remaining people had fled into different parts of the world and had stayed there for a long time.

Contact hadn't really happened. It was a vast continent, the old infrastructure destroyed, resources hard to come by. Traveling had meant horses once more, or walking. The people had been tired and sick, injured. Many had suffered from radiation sickness.

Wherever people had ended up after time had stood still, it was also where they had remained.

Very slowly, two separate factions had formed that way, one in the west, one in the east. Canada and the USA had been no more, just old names of an old time, a divide that made no sense anymore. South America had become an island. Nobody even knew what had happened to Europe, or Asia. Anything that was divided by the ocean might as well have been dead, sunken into the sea. There was no way, no desire to find out. Disaster had struck too severely for anyone on the American continent to care about anything other than their own immediate needs.

Years had passed. Decades. A new generation had risen, replacing the one that had still seen the War. And when even they had died, yet another generation had followed. Then another.

Almost three centuries had passed, and in that long - yet evolutionary short - period, something strange had happened. It was unsure, still, whether maybe the radiation from the Big Ones had been responsible, or whether it could have been a natural mutation. But among a Western tribe that had come to be known as The Golden, a new ability had been detected: some of them, just a small number, had developed the ability to link themselves to partners on a telepathic level - like Bonnie, or Damon.

Their immediate neighbors, known then as The Silveren had never succeeded to do the same, and they had begun to feel threatened, inferior.

In order to not remain as such, they had come up with other means of enhancing themselves, and they had created a weapon of defense out of some metal only to be found near places where the Big Ones had detonated, and those weapons had ever since then been known as Eternal, for wounds inflicted by them never healed, just like the ones on the arms of their bearers.

A pretty horrible concept, Bonnie had found upon learning more about it. Some Silveren, only the strongest and smartest, had been chosen to have a procedure done where the lower half of one of their arms was melded to a sword-like weapon which could only be taken off under excruciating pain to its bearer. As if a limb was being severed and the pain never dulled, it had been described to Bonnie and her fellow students, and she had felt her stomach turn at the mere thought. Why would anyone go to such lengths only to have an advantage in battle?

The Silveren were a barbaric folk.

And now Bonnie was linked to one of them. Not just anyone, either: the bearer of an Eternal Weapon.

The thought made her physically ill. She'd probably thrown up at least once every day since her bond had been established.

She had spent the last few days oscillating between despair and relief. Despair because she felt like her whole life as she knew it was now truly over. In ways she hadn't ever imagined, not in her wildest nightmares. The military suddenly had an increased interest in her. They were scrutinizing her entire lineage, making sure there was no trace of Silveren blood in her.

But there wasn't. She was as "pure" as it could get, not that that helped matters much. At least she wasn't considered an enemy spawn. Though she could see the looks people gave her behind her back - those few that were in the know, anyways. Her case had been deemed one of national security, her access to the public had been so drastically limited that she wasn't even allowed to talk to anyone outside of the military. She hadn't been allowed to go home, she hadn't been allowed to contact any friends, or even her one remaining family member, her Grams.

She felt like a prisoner.

Her only relief in all of that had been that it had become quite apparent that her bond was widely different than anything ever before encountered. There were what she could only describe as barriers around her mind as well as his that not only helped her keep her thoughts private, but also kept the pain at bay that was emanating over from him. They had taken his weapon away after all. She knew that meant agony for him. But on her side, the pain was rather dull and bearable, sometimes almost nonexistent.

She also rarely heard him or felt his thoughts. He remained a complete stranger to her, and she was acutely aware of the fact that she could guard her own thoughts just as well. As if her mind knew that there was a small common place, a shared place she inhabited with her partner, where they could waltz together as if on a dance floor, or fight as if on an open battlefield. But a bigger, wider space was still just reserved for her, where she could retreat once their dance was done.

Privacy, then, was still possible.

And she could breathe.

According to Damon and Elena, the only two she could really rely on for information, this was the opposite of how it was for them.

Most everything was a shared mindspace for them. There was just the smallest place that each of them had to themselves.

"Without it, I'd go crazy," Elena had whispered to her once, chuckling. But Bonnie had had a hard time even understanding how that would work.

"So, if you know you're thinking something Damon wouldn't approve of - or whatever, then you can just retreat to that space?"

Elena had laughed, "Not really, no. It's almost as if the thoughts themselves know where they belong," she'd replied, leaving Bonnie even more bewildered. She'd given up asking for details. She wouldn't have understood it anyways.

But now… now she was beginning to see.

…

* * *

…

They'd treated him surprisingly well so far, all things considered. He was beginning to wonder why. Could it have to do with that voice in his head? Could she be what kept them from acting out their tormentor tendencies? Because he could sense it in them. Barely hidden behind their hatred was the urge to poke and stab, to dissect him and find out the secret he carried.

But they weren't allowed to. He'd heard their commanding officer clearly. "The POW is not to be touched under any circumstances."

The POW… He snorted to himself, then sighed. The pain was getting to him, there was no denying that. His captors definitely knew that even despite their orders to leave him alone, he was already in enough of a bad state that his "stay" here was like torture.

He tried getting as comfortable as possible on the hard bedstead they'd given him, using his right arm to keep his left close to his body.

At least he was a little warmer again, so there was that.

The sergeant that had brought him food in the morning had told him he was going to meet her. He was pretty sure the man hadn't technically been supposed or allowed to tell him that, but he'd apparently thought it was another good way to taunt the prisoner.

"They'll bring your mind-piece over, freak," he'd spat, and Enzo had been rather bewildered for a moment before he'd made the connection. "She'll get everything we need to know out of you. She'll dig in there," he'd poked Enzo's temple hard, clearly disregarding his orders, "And she'll take you apart till your fucking brain is nothing but mush. Fucking Silverscum!

Enzo had brightly looked at him, allowing a small smirk to appear on his face as he had gotten as close to the other man as his shackles would allow. "Pretty sure you just disobeyed at least one major order you've been given. Would you like to inform your superior yourself, or shall I? You know, it'd be my pleasure…"

The man had glared at him, then left without another word, working hard to keep his cool and not lash out, as Enzo had started chuckling behind him.

But once he'd been gone, Enzo had been alone with his thoughts again, with his pain, and he'd started to think about her.

What would she be like? What would she look like? And most importantly, what damage could she really do to him?

He was curious. He was intrigued. And secretly, he was worried. He'd never heard of any Silveren mind-melding, least of all with a Golden. She was a freak, and therefore, so was he.

There was still a way out… He'd have to try and do it before she could pierce his brain and get information out of him that no Golden was allowed to ever see.

But first, he needed to see the face to that disembodied voice.

…

* * *

…

When an officer of the army had shown up to pick Bonnie up at the cabin, taking her on a long ride so that she could finally meet her partner, she'd almost balked. She didn't want to meet him. She didn't want to be associated with an enemy. She wanted to ignore it all, and thank you very much, please.

But now it was too late for that. Of course she hadn't balked. Of course she had come. She had gone on the trying daylong ride, leaving the rain behind only to encounter frost and snow, and she had hated her life even more as she'd sat perched on the too big horse, shivering under a heavy blanket and huddled in her only coat.

At least Damon had been appointed her bond-guide and was therefore with her through all of it. He'd teach her how to work with the link, he'd be there when she'd have to face _him_.

"Bon," he was saying just then, after they'd finally reached their destination. "Relax. They're not gonna leave you alone with him, okay? It'll work itself out somehow. I know it will." She gave him a doubtful look.

"Do you actually believe that?" She challenged. "Because I sure as hell don't."

"Whoa whoa. What happened to the ever positive Bonnie Bennett I know? The one that always sees good in everything, and everyone? Come on, you even gave _me_ a chance!" He grinned a winning grin at her, pulling her against his side as they were walking down a long bare aisle in some nondescript army building.

She rolled her eyes up at him, but he did get a small smile out of her. He wasn't wrong after all.

To Damon, this was all an exciting adventure, she could tell it from the way he looked at her, and his confident gait. Nothing out of the ordinary in his world as they were following a fellow soldier down a too long, icy hallway.

But for her, everything had changed. Little Bonnie Bennett of the Golden was suddenly bonded to a soldier of the enemy army. Nothing was safe, or certain anymore.

She was jolted back out of her thoughts as Damon was offhandedly remarking, "Might as well make the best of it. Who knows, you might get some military secrets out of this guy."

The officer who was accompanying them had stopped in front of a door, waiting for them to catch up. "I'm sorry, Major Salvatore. But I have strict orders to only let Ms. Bennett in there."

She could feel Damon's annoyance. His urge to protect her had always been strong. But she placed a reassuring hand on his arm and worked hard to get a decent smile on her face. "I'll be fine," she let him know, trying to convince him as much as herself.

"If he tries anything - anything at all…"

"I'll holler." She gave him an appreciative pat on the arm, acutely aware of her desire to kiss him, to hide in his arms, and she bit the inside of her lip to keep herself in check. Stupid feelings.

The officer gave her a sign. "I'll be in the corner right over there, so you won't be completely alone anyways." He nodded curtly, then added, "He tries anything, he's toast."

Bonnie didn't know what to say, so she merely nodded in return. For some reason, the man's words had sounded like a threat, not just to the Silveren soldier, but also to herself.

She took a deep breath as if she was going underwater rather than just into another room.

When she emerged, she saw the man sitting almost in the middle of the room, cuffed hands resting on his lap, his bare feet chained to the ground beneath him.

His head was hanging down, as if his neck had refused to carry it, but other than that, he sat pretty upright.

She shivered. It was ice cold in the room, and she remembered yet another tidbit from Preparation: how the Silveren didn't do so well with the cold weather, which was why it was always quieter during the winter months, and why California, Arizona, and Nevada had been the first territories lost to them, ages ago. They'd fought fiercely over those places, but the Silveren had gone into every fight with such reckless abandon that, in the end, the Golden hadn't stood a chance.

But that was all in the past. What Bonnie was facing now was going to be the start (or end) of her future.

"Hello," she made herself say, anxiously waiting for a reaction. She cocked her head a little, trying to get a glimpse of his face, but to no avail. She felt a tingly sense of anticipation creep up her spine, a feeling somewhere between being too hot and way too cold. She felt goosebumps prickle up on her thighs and calves.

The enemy soldier - her link partner - still didn't show a reaction. Helplessly, she looked over to the officer and shrugged, which the man seemed to take as a request, because suddenly, she saw him walk over and slap the side of the chained man's head, hard. She gasped, shocked, as her hand flew to her mouth. She looked over her shoulder for Damon, but of course there was a door between them.

She was in this alone...

She watched as the force of the slap made the man's whole body jerk before he finally looked up.

His unkempt hair, almost black, it was so dark, hung into his eyes as he raised his head abruptly, and his dark eyes fell on her.

They were strangely gleaming. Deep, and shuttered.

She swallowed, taking an involuntary step back, unsure of what to do or say. They had briefed her, of course, but she didn't seem to be able to recall any of the advice she had gotten. Engage. Or was it, don't engage? Make contact. Right…

"I'm Bonnie. Bennett, " she introduced herself, as if this was just a friendly meeting. Internally, she cringed at her too chipper tone, but it happened of its own accord. She was just so nervous and couldn't help it. "I'm your… link-partner. I know this must come as a shock to you, it definitely was a shock for me-"

She was mortified to find herself unable to quite suppress an embarrassed giggle. She rolled her eyes, then bit her lip to stop herself. She needed to pull herself together.

"They told me your name is Lorenzo?" She asked and exhaled very slowly in an attempt to keep herself from blurting out the next string of words.

"My friends call me Enzo," the stranger suddenly allowed, his eyes trained on her, staring at her unwaveringly. She wasn't quite sure what to make of his words. Surely he didn't intend her to call him Enzo… or did he?

Did she see a flicker of mirth in his face?

…

* * *

...

The woman was gorgeous. Enzo almost didn't believe his eyes. Her green eyes, the warm tone of her dark skin, so different from any woman he had ever been close with.

But then, he'd never been very close to any woman to begin with. Maggie… that was both a long and too short of a time ago. It still felt like a gaping wound that any of his flings hadn't even begun to heal. He sighed.

"So you are the woman that mind-raped me?" he said drily, but had to smirk at her appalled expression. "Don't like my choice of words, love, do you?" he noticed, and forced himself to harden his features. He couldn't allow anyone to see inside of him. Granted, it would be hard to keep that up now that this Golden was constantly in his head.

"I…" her voice wavered. Suddenly she looked so vulnerable that he felt a strange protectiveness toward her. He bit down hard, clenching his teeth until the muscles in his jaw began to hurt. There was no reason and no use for that protectiveness. That girl was the enemy.

And he was their prisoner.

"Maybe the two of us can work together so that one day we won't have to be enemies anymore." The quiet suggestion moved him. As if she'd known that deep down, he hated the war. It was not his. It never had been.

Yet he still had to fight in it as one of their armies' greatest "weapons."

Subconsciously he touched his bare left arm. Without the weapon and without the special bandage keeping the pain in check, the sensation was slowly wearing him down. Nothing he could do about it now.

The whole thing still sounded like a horror story to him, or a creepy fairytale type myth, but when that girl had penetrated his mind and part of her had somehow… stayed, he'd known his life was about to take a turn.

In fact, her attack on him had startled him so much, had taken up all his concentration that it had been easy for the Golden soldiers to capture him.

The Golden troops had been after him for a while by then, as was always a risk when you were a Weapon's Bearer. All the enemy's rage and anger and focus fell on them. Always.

Because they stuck out with their gleaming weapons and gleaming arms. And because they brought on the most and deadliest damage.

Now they had finally caught one. Enzo was willing to bet that they had patted themselves on their shoulders and congratulated each other. They had probably already scheduled his execution then, only to learn about that freak connection one of their own had established with him and that had surely made their superiors tell them to hold off on killing him.

"I guess execution is off the table," he'd chuckled at the officer that was usually guarding him, and the man had shot him a hateful glare.

"You'll _wish_ we'd executed you."

Enzo had rolled his eyes. He knew all about threats like that. He knew the consequences too. So far, his will to live had always, always succeeded.

But here she was, the woman in his head, the one he had fought every second of every minute of every hour of every friggin' day ever since she had entered where no one before her had been.

His mind, if nothing else, had always been his, and his alone. And then she'd come along. While he kept on fighting to keep her out of his head, he could feel her more and more. Could feel her voice. A strangely soothing, reverberating voice. A beautiful voice, he had to give her that.

Now that he saw her in front of him he thought that it fit quite well with the rest of her. At least the one enemy to bring him down was a gorgeous woman. He wouldn't want to have it any other way.

Well, he would have preferred to not have gotten caught in the first place, but hey.

"I'm talking to you!" The sudden exclamation jolted him back out of his thoughts and into his current situation. She looked angry. He smirked.

"Sorry, love. Did you say something?"

She huffed, looking to the officer as if for help.

"Oh, him?" He gave a shake of his head toward the man in the corner. "He won't help you. Not much use that guy, if you ask me."

She glared. "Neither are you."

"Touché."

He expected her to say something else, to repeat what she had said to him. But she remained awfully quiet, staring at him with an unreadable expression. He was starting to feel uncomfortable. He wasn't used to being looked at so directly, so intensely, so … incessantly.

Well, nice chat," he broke the silence, hoping for the awkward feeling to go away. "Now, please vacate my mind again…"

She gave him an unreadable look, and he felt that feeling deepen.


	3. Swear words and Silverscum

_Thanks deenew, kpmindc, and Jade! You guys are great! This, then, is for you!_

 _This chapter is a bit long after all. But we gotta get this story to unfold, so..._

* * *

...

"That stupid Silverscum! Ugh!" Bonnie was so angry she didn't know what to do with all that negative energy. She hated that man, more than she'd ever thought she could hate anyone.

How aloof he was. How unwilling to give this a chance, to figure this out together. Like it was all on her now. And the word he'd used: mind-raped. She took a deep breath, stomping up and down in the little cabin she'd been allotted, and to which Damon had just accompanied her.

"I don't think I have ever heard you use that word," he said, grinning, but she wasn't in the mood.

"What?!"

"Silverscum?" He chuckled. "I thought you were above curses that involved the other person's background. Wasn't it you who explained that whole business to me? How before the Last War, people had used religion and race and what not as markers for inferiority or superiority, and how it had been our downfall? Didn't _you_ tell me that getting rid of those markers had done nothing for any of us since we had just replaced them with arbitrary others?" She looked to him grumpily. She didn't like to be lectured on her own points, not even by him. But yes, she remembered…

They had sat in Preparation - like so often - and had gotten their history lesson on the Last War, which, ironically, had not even _been_ the last one, and she had been strangely agitated hearing about it all.

Race. Religion. Grams had once told her about that, too. How she should never take anything for granted, how she needed to keep her eyes and mind open to not fall for the mistakes of their ancestors like everyone else had done.

"They call it Gold and Silver now, child, as if brown and black and blue and white and red and yellow don't matter anymore, but they're fooling themselves. Nothing has changed. Some will always be 'more equal than others'. Now there's the mind-bonds and the Eternal Weapons, and after that, it'll be race once more, or something else entirely. Just you watch, child. Just you watch. And be careful. No war will ever be the last one…"

She'd told Damon this, and Elena. But they had merely given her strange looks and shaken their heads before changing the subject to safer matters. She couldn't really blame them.

But Damon's words had gotten to her more than she let on. He was right. She had never used that word before. She shouldn't have done it now, no matter the circumstances.

Despite everything, the Silveren were still people, not much different than them.

She sighed, letting herself fall onto the bed, stretching her tired arms and legs. Her whole body was sore from the long ride, and she was so ready to just close her eyes and sleep. Tomorrow was another day, her problems weren't going to run away from her anyways, so she might as well get some rest.

She looked over to where Damon was still sitting at a little table, a few papers in front of him, though she could tell that he, too, was tired. He had that slightly vacant stare he'd get whenever he was conversing with Elena over their link, and Bonnie waited till he was back from wherever he went for that before she asked him to let her get some sleep.

"We should really discuss a strategy for you. Something to suggest to the General before the briefing tomorrow." He looked at her expectantly, but she shook her head.

"I'm so tired, Damon. I can't focus on anything right now. Can't this wait till after I've gotten some sleep? Please?"

He raised his eyebrows. "What happened to selfless Bonnie Bennett, who always puts everyone else's well being before her own?"

She shot him an annoyed glance. "She decided to be a little selfish for once, now that everyone wants a piece of her and doesn't even treat her like a human being anymore," she quipped, making him smile at her sadly.

With a sigh, he got up, walked over to her and placed a light kiss on her brow. "I'll come back in the morning then. Before the meeting starts. Go shut your eyes, Bon."

She pressed her lips together, trying to smile for him. When he started walking toward the door, she rolled onto her side, facing the bare wall, and waited till she heard the light click as the door fell shut again behind Damon.

She was alone. She swallowed, trying hard to force unbidden tears back. What was she supposed to do? She hated this. All of it.

And especially him.

But what was worse, she hated herself too. For longing for Damon, now more than ever. Why couldn't she make herself stop? Why…

 _Who is he?_

Bonnie almost choked on a gasp when she heard (or felt?) his voice in her mind, and she scrambled into a sitting position quickly. As if he could see her; which of course he couldn't.

 _None of your business_ , she huffed, biting her lip when she realized she had engaged him when she should have probably ignored him, or pushed him out of her thoughts. What had she divulged to him already?

 _I'm only here because of you. You know that, right?_

She snorted, feeling herself grow angry again. _I told you that I didn't do anything!_

 _How do you explain this, then?_ We _don't do this_ …

 _You don't 'do' this?! Well, excuse me! From what I hear what_ you _do is way worse. You should know best! I can feel your pain, you know that, right?_ She retorted, using some of his own words. She liked the feeling of triumph she felt at throwing her words at him. She was fully prepared for him to lash out with more accusations or maybe even threats. But she was met with complete silence.

She probed his mind, right there at the edge where she could feel his presence linger, but there was nothing. _Nothing else to say, huh?_ she challenged. _You know nothing about pain, Lorenzo. Not until you've seen your family get torn open by one of those weapons you wield. Not until you've seen their pain before they die…_ She felt a sob build up inside of her, and she knew she wouldn't be able to contain it. _Not until-_

 _I'm sorry, love_.

 _Don't friggin 'love' me!_ She said, exasperated at his stupid term of endearment, but also startled at his words, and she was met with a feeling of amusement in reply that made her even more annoyed.

With all her concentration on her barriers, she forced herself to close her mind off once more, and was relieved when she finally felt alone in her head again. No voices, no foreign feelings.

But loneliness. And time to think about her miserable life and her miserable love.

It was not as great of a trade as she'd thought. A part of her almost wished he was back in her head…

* * *

…

 _How is she holding up_?

 _Eh. You know Bon. She's tough._

Damon was laying in bed, arms crossed under his head, just staring at the ceiling. He was worn out, and honestly? He didn't want to discuss Bonnie right now.

 _What are you wearing?_

 _What_?

He knew she was giggling incredulously. He wished he could wiggle his eyebrows at her, but over time, they had learned to listen for other cues. And to be more blunt when needed.

 _Come on, Elena. Indulge me. Please,_ he begged and smiled to himself when she did. He could just picture her. Wearing her comfy flannel pajamas, but telling him about the sexy lingerie she was pretending to wear. Telling him how she touched herself when he knew full well that she was probably too tired to even move.

But he'd take it. And if he didn't have to talk or think about Bonnie, that was good too.

 _Do you like her, Damon? Bonnie..._

Where had that come from? _She's our best friend, of course I do… - Back to those panties of yours, can you-_

 _I'm serious. I'm not judging you, I'm just_ … She trailed off and he sighed. The moment was gone, he might as well just sit up and talk it out with her. He could sense it, jealousy. And he knew she could sense his growing annoyance.

Sometimes he really cursed his connection with her. It had been so much easier before they had become bonded.

 _Sh… don't say that. Don't even think it. This leads nowhere, you know that,_ Elena implored him, and Damon ran a hand through his hair in frustration. Of course she had picked up on those thoughts.

 _Ya. Alright. Fine. I'm sorry, Elena. Listen,_ he paused, trying to focus on the one place he still had to himself. _I do like her. Of course I do. We've been through a lot together, you know that._ He tried to show her some pictures from his memories and she got the message. A flickering weapon, screaming people. He'd been there when that Bearer had destroyed Bonnie's life. He'd been there for her ever since. _But I,_ this was going to be hard. Maybe impossible. He had to focus. Focus. _I don't love her, not in that way. She's a friend. My best friend._ Our _best friend…_

 _You're right. I'm sorry. I don't know where this has suddenly come from. Honestly, I just think I'm a little, I don't know, jealous? That you two get to spend so much time together. That you get to be by her side through this while I_ …

He smiled. _But_ you _are who's always on my mind, gorgeous!_ he said, and he was relieved when he heard her light laugh. _I love you, Elena Gilbert._

 _And I love you, Damon Salvatore_.

* * *

…

They had come at night. It was the reason why she was afraid of the dark now. Even after all these years. Not because of monsters under her bed, not because of mythical creatures like vampires or witches or werewolves. No. The reason she was forever scared to go out after the sun had set, was that one fateful night when monstrous humans had come for her family.

She could see it all again, feel it. She knew she was dreaming. That happened sometimes, that she was aware; but the lucidity didn't make it any more bearable.

How they came at their little house, her mom screaming, her dad being dragged out. And then…

A blazing light had brightened the scene, a man with his arm on fire - or so it had seemed - had lashed out at Bonnie's dad. The sound her father had made when he'd fallen… She had bitten hard into her hand to stifle her own cries, hard enough to draw blood.

She had hidden under the porch, from where she had seen and heard it all up close.

It had been her hiding spot when she was a little kid. She and Elena had always played under there.

Her father's blood had dripped through the cracks. She'd seen the side of his face lying against the cool wood. She'd heard the men's voices.

She'd seen _it_ : the weapon. Dangling off of their leader's arm like it was part of it. So bright she couldn't look directly at it.

Suddenly there was such pain.

 _Bonnie. Wake up!_

Bonnie woke up with a gasp. She scrambled up in her bed, completely disoriented for a moment. She looked around her wildly, half expecting Damon or someone else in her room. But nobody was there.

She was completely alone.

 _Bad dream._

Not a question. A statement. It was him. And he knew. He'd seen it. He'd seen her dream.

Bonnie stood up, pulling her long woolen sweater around her more, clutching it with icy hands. It was cold in the cabin, and she felt oddly violated.

He'd seen her dream.

 _I'm sorry._

She took a deep breath, wiping away the tears that had started to fall, she didn't know when. Before or after she had woken up?

 _Are you okay?_

He was still there. She scoffed. Why was he still in her mind space.

 _Get out of my head,_ she told him, anger tinging her words.

 _I'm not doing anything._

 _You saw it!_ She accused him, trying to shove him away on a mental sphere, which made him recoil. She could feel his pain intensifying, like she'd broken a hole into a barrier instead of pushing him further away.

She was confused. She tried again.

 _Stop_.

 _Get out!_ She was yelling now, frightened and unsure, and she lashed out one last time, icy hot pain exploding around her, making her slump down on her knees and hold her head, her arm, her body.

 _Stooooop_!

Only then did she finally realize that it hadn't been him in her head after all. She had somehow invaded his. With a jolt, she pulled away, leaving the pain behind, and his voice, returning to the dark cool cabin and her own thoughts.

What the hell just happened?

She was shaking. Her breaths came in quick succession, like she'd just overexerted herself. She couldn't stand for another few minutes. She had to wait for a while, until her breathing was calm again, and the shaking slowly subsiding.

When she'd finally managed to walk over to the small kitchen and make herself a tea, she sat down in one of the two crappy chairs and rested her head on her arms for a while.

It was not until at least an hour later that she finally dared to carefully reach out again, into that small shared space of their minds and ask, _Are you there?_

No reply. Just emptiness. She sighed, ready to leave it be. Why would she want to talk to him anyways. She was mortified that he'd seen what he'd seen: her at her most vulnerable moment. He had no right. Someone just like him had destroyed her family, a Weapon Bearer had killed her parents, an Eternal, and now she had not one but two of them in her head: one a memory, one very real.

How was she supposed to live with that?

* * *

…

He'd lain awake, the pain making it impossible for him to get comfortable, to sleep for longer than just increments here and there. He'd tried to concentrate on something else to make it a little more bearable, when suddenly, strange images had appeared in his mind. Things he'd never witnessed, feelings he'd never known. Not his.

Hers.

He'd seen her: cowering under wooden planks, a porch. He'd followed her frightened gaze and seen it all as if with her eyes…

Terrible images. Not just a dream. He'd known. He'd called her name. Once, twice. She hadn't budged. She'd been captured by the horrors in her mind.

Until finally, he'd gotten through to her.

She'd made him pay dearly. He closed his eyes, his breathing still erratic, still too shallow. He couldn't get it under control.

He'd tried hard to keep his pain contained, locked away somewhere deep inside of him. When he'd realized she was aware of it somewhere at the edge of their shared mind space, he'd briefly wondered whether he could somehow use it as a weapon against her, before he'd closed it off even more, shielding her from it as best as he could.

Why?

Because nobody deserved to feel like that. He'd injured so many, he'd inflicted Eternal Wounds left and right, wounds that hurt almost as bad as his. It was his job.

And he'd always known that he didn't want to do this.

But now she'd barged in, tearing down his barriers, so strong, so powerful, and she had unleashed that pain, allowing it to freely course through his entire body, mind numbing, blinding, and he didn't know how to put those barriers back up.

He couldn't function anymore. He couldn't…

* * *

…

"Sir. We're having a bit of a problem."

General Fell closed his eyes, tiredly rubbing over them with one hand. He shook his head. He was weary. War did that to you. Having to write yet another letter to another family who had lost another daughter or son didn't help matters.

"What is it, Sergeant Donovan?" he asked the young soldier in front of him, finally looking up and at the other man.

"The prisoner in 1103, Sir."

The Eternal. Fell groaned audibly. He'd known nothing good would come of leaving him alive for much longer than it took for them to dissect him.

"He's scheduled for another meeting with the girl?"

"Is that a question, Sergeant?" His annoyance must have been rather obvious, for the soldier hurried to apologize.

"I'm sorry, Sir. Of course not. The meeting… I'm…," he was stuttering, "not sure what to do. The prisoner seems to be in… distress…"

Geez. It was like pulling teeth. That kid still needed to learn a lot.

"Obviously, Sergeant. You've never met an Eternal before, have you?"

The man pressed his lips together. "No Sir."

"They're always in 'distress.'" He slowly pushed his chair away and got up, crumpling the letter he'd tried to write in his hands. He'd have to try again. With a little more… feeling.

"Yes, Sir. So I've been told. But this… seems to be different. He's… not exactly responsive."

The General looked up, suddenly more interested. "Huh," he made. "Has anyone touched him?"

"Not that I know of, Sir."

The sergeant had turned the slighted shade of pink. Fell knew the kid himself had indeed touched the prisoner. But he didn't really mind. A little bit of roughness here and there was not the problem. "Well then… I'll consider this a good thing. Bring the girl over. I want to be there. If he's truly in such a bad state, it should be easy for her to break him down and give us all the information he could possibly have." He smiled to himself as the Sergeant gave him a resounding "Yessir" and saluted before making his way to the door.

This day might turn out to bring some good news after all.

* * *

…

Bonnie felt groggy from her early start. She was following the same soldier they'd been following before, Damon yet again by her side.

"Hanging in there?" He'd asked her upon picking her up, and she'd given him an unconvincing lopsided half-grin.

"I'm trying."

Normally, she would have told him all about last night's strange happenings. Even after he and Elena had bonded, she'd still told him - them - pretty much everything that happened to her. For some reason, and she couldn't quite put her finger on what that was, she suddenly didn't feel like she could - or should - do that anymore.

Elena wasn't here. She was back home, working at the military headquarters' hospital section.

"Ma'am," the soldier told her, and Bonnie stifled a laugh.

"I don't think I've ever been 'Ma'am-ed' this much before. Makes me feel like I'm actually a respectable woman," she whispered to Damon, making him grin.

"Aren't you, Ms. Bennett? You've always seemed impeccably respectable to me."

"That's not saying much."

He raised his arms, chuckling. "Alright, alright." He nodded over to the other soldier by the half open door. "Let's go in."

She inhaled deeply, letting the air out slowly as she walked through the door, bracing herself. She was going to meet General Fell first, and a few of his staff, before she would be sent back into the room with _him_.

"Ms. Bennett?" A middle aged man with very short grayish hair held out a hand that she reluctantly took. He squeezed it a little too hard for her liking, but she put on a brave blank face and nodded.

"General Fell," he introduced himself, then pointed out the other few people in the room, naming them all. "And I believe you've met Sergeant Matt Donovan before."

She nodded again, trying to smile at the soldier, though she was wary of him ever since he'd slapped her link-partner.

"Shall we?"

She followed the General over to the half circle of chairs and sat down next to Damon, waiting.

"As I'm sure you've learned by now, your… quite peculiar bond is of utmost interest to us. A game changer."

Her tongue felt heavy when she got out a small and quiet "yes," and she waited for the man to say more. She felt Damon's presence at her side, but somehow, it didn't feel as reassuring as it usually did. She wiggled uncomfortably in her chair, only stopping once she noticed what she was doing.

The General tapped a paper lying in front of him, indicating that there was also a copy on her table. She picked it up gingerly, her eyes briefly flying over a few bullet points before the man continued speaking.

"This is a list of questions we have. Things we need to know. That we've been trying to find the answers to for a very long time. I don't need to tell you how vile the Silveren technology is that enables them to create the Eternal Weapons," he paused for a moment, locking gazes with her. She stared at him so hard, she couldn't see him anymore. "When you go in there," he went on, "I want you to poke his brain for those answers. Dig in there. Get them out. With that information, I believe we have a real chance of finally ending that war, Ms. Bennett. _You_ will make that possible."

"But I… I'm not sure I can…" Bonnie trailed off, suddenly feeling sick. It was too much pressure. "What if I fail?"

The General broke into a smile. "You won't. He won't be able to put up a fight. Major Salvatore here will go in with you. He'll guide you through this. We all know you've only been bonded very recently." He sounded so sincere, so friendly. "Why don't you give it a try."

Of course she didn't actually have a choice…

* * *

…

When Sergeant Donovan led her into the cell, Bonnie felt the change in temperature immediately. Damon gave her arm a quick squeeze when she stopped walking and she looked at him questioningly.

"You got this, Bon. I'll be right here with you. But you won't even need me as chaperone. It's your second date after all." He smiled at her, but she couldn't reciprocate that smile.

She resumed walking, however, until she stood right in front of the chair they had chained him to yet again.

"Enzo?"

She felt the urge to reach out and touch him, and awkwardly wrung her hands to stop herself.

He sat slumped over even more than the last time she had seen him. She wasn't even sure he was… conscious.

"Enzo?"

Donovan cleared his throat. "He probably won't respond. He's been out for a while," he casually explained, and Bonnie felt weirdly exasperated about his lack of concern.

What was wrong with her? This was the enemy. Did she honestly start feeling compassion for him? Was this a side effect of the stupid link?

"Try it with your mind," Damon whispered, his eyes on the Silveren. "Can't believe that Silverscum is really linked to you," it escaped him and she shot him a quick sideways glance. She realized that this was the first time Damon was in the same room with her link-partner and it was a weird thought somehow. Part of her had almost wished she could keep this to herself more.

She tried to focus back on the Silveren, Enzo, and use what Damon had called her "inner voice" to speak to him. She concentrated hard, though she didn't even really know what she was doing, and was surprised when she did suddenly touch on something that sent a jolt of pain through her, so strong that she fell backwards and would have fallen to the ground had it not been for Damon's quick reaction to pull her by her arms.

"Whoa whoa, Bon, you okay?" he asked as she clung to him, disoriented and panting, but she nodded and inhaled deeply.

"I was just… caught off guard I guess."

"Did he do anything?" Damon looked angry on her behalf, but she shook her head mildly. "Listen," he implored her, "you gotta remember: _you_ are the one in control. If he tries to hurt you or pull you in too much, you come back here, you hear me?"

Bonnie chuckled. He made it sound like she knew what that meant. But she still had no freaking idea. This was all so new to her, so strange. And honestly, she wasn't so sure that she _was_ the one in control. Regardless, she knew she had to try again. The General and his staff were in the other room, behind a two way mirror, watching her every move. They relied on her for important information. They'd said she might help end the war.

And she did want that more than anything.

 _Lorenzo_.

She waded through the pain, shielding herself as best as she could. It wasn't hers. It couldn't harm her. But it was so vast. There was no barrier at all, she suddenly realized. She had had no trouble entering his mind, she had no trouble going deeper now.

She saw images. Blurry, but there, like she was walking through an underwater movie. Pictures changing lightning fast, so quickly she started to feel dizzy and overwhelmed. Ready to throw up.

 _Lorenzo?_

There was no answer. Still.

 _Lorenzo. Are you okay?_

But of course he wasn't. That much was quite obvious, had already been obvious from the outside. Still, she went on, prodded his mind here and there, but it was so much information, too much, and she didn't understand any of it. It wasn't at all like clear thoughts or anything. She couldn't just sift through his brain and take the answers straight from there. It was as if she needed a translator of sorts.

She'd need him.

 _Enzo?_

* * *

…

For a while he didn't feel anything other than the pain. It didn't even dissipate when he lost consciousness because of it. It was as if he was trapped in a bubble and everything was just that one sensation.

And all he wanted was for it to end. For everything to end. He wanted to die.

He'd always hung on to life with a fierce hunger to live, and to stay alive. The prospect of having to end his life upon imminent capture had always been looming over him. Maybe that's what had made him cherish every moment, no matter the pain.

But this… this was different. It didn't allow for anything else beside the hurting. And he was done.

Until he felt her. She was calling his name. It sounded almost intimate. So close…

 _Enzo_...

He clung to the thought of her, tried to focus on her voice. It was so hard…

* * *

…

"I can't reach him."

Bonnie had emerged back into the outside world, frustrated with her non-existent progress.

"Try again."

She glared at Damon angrily. Easy for him to say. But this was not Elena, this was not even a Golden, and she simply couldn't do it.

"No."

He raised his eyebrows warningly. "Bon. Now is not the time to suddenly become selfish-"

"Excuse me?" she scoffed, then cocked her head, realization dawning. "Is this you talking, or Elena?"

He made a face at her, she didn't need more confirmation.

She sighed, shaking her head, defeated. "He's so deep under," she looked straight at the mirror, knowing the General was watching her, "I can't get any information out of him."

Suddenly, she heard static noise, then a disembodied voice: "Donovan, some cold water. And the satchel."

While Bonnie frowned, alarmed, the Sergeant nodded and left the room briefly. Bonnie swallowed, suddenly very uncomfortable.

"What are they going to do?" she whispered as quietly as possible, and Damon beside her answered without moving his lips much, as if he didn't want to get caught.

"You know it."

"What's the satchel?"

Damon gave her the briefest of side glances, and she froze.

"They're not going to… torture him, are they?"

"Shush, Bon. It's-"

"No." She turned around, toward the wall with the mirror, looking at her own reflection. "Excuse me? Sir?"

"What are you doing?" Damon hissed. He'd grabbed her by the arm, trying to make her stop, but she shook him off.

"Torture is not going to help anything," she hissed back, then louder, "Sir, I know you can hear me. If you're going to torture him, I'm out. I will not stand by and watch you do that."

The com system crackled again. "Ms. Bennett, we are just trying to offer a bit of help to… accelerate things a little. I'm sure that's in your interest as well."

"I have a bond with this man! If you're going to torture him, you may as well do it to me."

"I thought your connection was quite superficial?"

She pressed her lips into a thin line, trying her best to rein in her rising level of rage. Coldly, she said, "Pain won't change anything. It's the _reason_ I can't get through to him." She raised her chin defiantly, challengingly. "I'm asking you for more time. And… I believe there's a special kind of bandage the Eternal keep on themselves? For when they're not carrying their weapons? I'm asking you," she thought for a moment, then amended, "I'm _begging_ you to please allow me to use it so I can bandage up his arm. Then I'll gladly try again."

Her heart was pounding against her ribcage, she was so nervous. Clearly, she'd overstepped the boundaries. She wasn't even military and had dared to put the General on the spot. But she knew she was right. And she hoped he would see that, too.

There was a long pause, in which Sergeant Donovan came back, clearly waiting for the General's orders, and Bonnie felt her legs start shaking like crazy.

"Sir?" Donovan sounded slightly confused.

Another bout of static, and Bonnie closed her eyes in anticipation, when she heard the General's booming voice. "Hold off, Sergeant. And bring Ms. Bennett the prisoner's bandage."

"Yessir!"

"Ms. Bennett. You have one chance. If your approach does not bring us answers quickly, we will go with mine."

She opened her eyes and nodded.

* * *

…

They were still all there. She was acutely aware of their presence just behind the mirror as she carefully touched his left arm, the bandage lying ready across her lap. She didn't know what she was doing, just like so often within the last few days. She didn't know whether there was a special way to bind the arm, so she had to go with the standard approach, just wrapping it around and around until the strangely gleaming scar-like mark on his arm was all covered.

 _I hope this helps_ , she told him, not expecting a reply, but she could hear his breathing normalize immediately.

 _They want me to ask you questions. They need information. If I don't give them anything, they'll torture you. They really don't care. They'll probably kill us both._ She gave a small unhappy chuckle. _No one is gonna trust me again anyways. - Ugh. Why did I have to fuck this up so badly? Bonding with a Silveren. It's worse than I had ever imagined._

 _I'm sorry._

She started. _There you are._

 _I can't give you that information. You know I can't._

She sighed. She kept her eyes closed, because she didn't want to tip anyone off to the fact that she'd made contact with him.

When he stirred, she warned him. _If they know you're conscious, they might do something. I don't want-_

 _Are you worried about me, Bonnie Bennett?_

She opened her eyes, huffing, and saw him smile at her. She bit her lip, glaring at him.

 _I'm simply… looking out for myself. If they hurt you, they hurt me. I can feel your pain, you know?_

 _You_ are _worried about me._ His smile widened, and she caught herself thinking that it was a very handsome smile. On a very handsome face.

But even monsters could look like angels, she reminded herself, and hardened her own expression quickly.

 _I will need that info._

 _And I can't give it to you._

 _We have the chance to end this war. We can show them that we can work together! Use this stupid link for something good!_ She was pleading with him, she didn't even know why, and it angered her.

 _We are just two people. I didn't choose this._ He tapped his head as if she needed to be reminded.

 _Why are you still talking to me telepathically then?_ She challenged, and he grinned.

"I also didn't choose this," he said out loud, lifting his bandaged arm an inch before letting it sink back down on his leg, grimacing as he did.

"Then let's do something to stop it from happening to others. Tell me how you do this. How we can destroy the technology." She looked at him intently, unaware of her hand resting on his arm until she caught him gazing down on it. Quickly, she took it away, heat flushing into her face as she did.

"You're not that naive, love, are you?" he asked mildly, and her features darkened. He looked up to the mirror, staring straight at it when he said, "They're simply going to use it to make their own version of the weapons." He looked back to her with a drawn expression. "They're not interested in ending this war, love. They just want to fight it on their own terms."

"Donovan."

The other voice didn't quite register with Bonnie until the soldier was already by her side, excusing himself as he pushed her to the side a little to get to Enzo.

The Silveren looked up to the other man, grinning knowingly, before his arm was grabbed hard and Donovan started tearing at the bandage. Enzo was still grinning, though Bonnie could see the strain behind the mask.

"Stop it!" She said, helplessly. But of course the Sergeant didn't listen to her. He had his orders, and she was no one to him. She was searching for Damon, but he had gone over to the other side of the mirror. She was alone in this.

Suddenly, she felt an immense pain shoot into her, and she yelled out, making the soldier jump and shoot a glance over to the mirror in confusion.

"Continue." It was the General.

Bonnie was panting, assessing herself. The pain had vanished as quickly as it had come. She was fine. Still standing. She looked over to where Enzo was sitting and saw him panting, bandage half unraveled, but hanging in there. She squinted at him, suddenly suspicious.

 _Was that you?_ She asked, seething, and she pushed herself past a startled Donovan, grabbing Enzo's shirt lapels, pushing against his chest. _Did you just… send your pain my way?! To assault me?!_

He smirked, making her even angrier.

"Donovan!" The General's voice sounded distant. Bonnie was too focused on her link-partner to pay much attention. "Get her away from him and continue."

 _I was trying to help you. I…_

 _Chill, love. Just trying to show you something._

 _Show me what? That you can hurt me?_

 _That they don't care about you. They won't stop for you, you do know that, right? They'll end up hurting you, too._

 _Like you'd care about me getting hurt._ She clenched her teeth. She didn't want to let him get to her.

 _I do, actually._

She cocked her head. The sincereness she'd felt in his statement had caught her by surprise.

"Ma'am. Please. I don't want to hurt you."

"What?" It was Donovan, jolting her out of her mind conversation. For the first time, she looked at him directly, really taking him in. He didn't look like a bad guy. He had a warm friendly face, soft features, and a sensitivity around his eyes that, under other circumstances, could have been endearing. But his actions spoke a different language.

"Could you please step away?" he now said, indicating Enzo, and she shifted her weight, contemplating.

"I…" She wavered, unsure of what to think or do next. There was simply too much going on in her head, in her life. She didn't need to put herself on the line for this Silverscum; even if he happened to be her partner. It was not like she'd chosen him or anything.

So she stepped away eventually, arms spread away from her body as if inviting Donovan.

"Go ahead. I tried. Looks like he wants it the hard way."

 _Sounds kinky._ Enzo grinned.

Shut. Up. She didn't grace him with a look. Part of her felt bad already, however. She'd never used to be someone who'd just stand by passively while something atrocious was about to happen.

It's just a bandage, she tried to remind herself, but she didn't actually believe it. She knew better.

She asked to be excused, looking over to the mirror, wondering what Damon behind it thought of all this.

"You may go while we prepare him for your next meeting. We will make this a set appointment, Ms. Bennett. Every day at the same time, you will meet with the prisoner. Until he'll finally give up the information we need."

She nodded. Of course they wouldn't let it go.

 _See you in your dreams, love._

She rolled her eyes, then walked over to the door and out. When she heard it fall shut behind her, she briefly leaned against it for support, taking a few deep breaths.

She was ready to cry. Again.

She was ready to run away.

 _You should._

She closed her eyes. _Why are you still there?_ She asked, and she could feel his amusement briefly, before he seemed to vanish out of their shared mind space.

At the edges, she felt his pain rise to old levels, and she choked down a sob.

No. She didn't want him to suffer through that. But it was his own fault. Right?

Right?

...


	4. To live and die

_Thanks deenew, jannay, Juno, and Jade! You guys are awesome! Loved your thoughtful feedback. Sorry for the short reply, but I'm late posting this next chapter (I'm trying to post one a day, we shall see how long I can keep that up...), so I'll hurry this up a bit._

 _Here's the next installment._

* * *

…

Days passed, bled into weeks. His life was over, he'd entered hell so smoothly, it was only fitting for someone like him.

Yet he couldn't give up completely. He couldn't give up what little knowledge of the things they wanted to know he had. He couldn't give up trying to get out, either, trying to flee, even though it usually ended in him getting restrained even more or being left without the bandage for days on end.

He couldn't stop fighting.

And he couldn't stop living for the moments she came to see him.

Bonnie Bennett, with her sorrowful face, green eyes dim yet still so captivating. He let himself drown in them whenever she was there, got lost for a blissful moment of peace and calm.

"How are they treating you?" she'd usually ask, and he'd cock his head and smirk, the dark circles under his eyes, his whole appearance surely evidence enough, but he'd always just say, "I can't complain," his voice hoarse and foreign to his own ears.

With every new visit, she looked more drawn, tired and exhausted, a mirror of his own demise.

"It's getting to me too," she had told him again, just the day before, and he'd given her a sad look.

"I'm sorry, I still can't…"

"I know."

It had been the first time she'd agreed like that with him. Bonnie had always argued with him, tried to persuade him, once she knew she couldn't force the information out of him by mind-power alone. But now…

She'd given up.

And he was strangely agitated because of it.

They were wearing them both down, he knew it. He felt awful about it, he didn't even know why. He'd _hated_ it when she'd first invaded his mind like that. The Golden were a barbaric folk, basically forcing themselves on each other with those links. But during the last weeks, he'd grown to appreciate her constant presence. How he always felt her at the edges of his mind. Like a focal point, soothing.

And he'd often slipped over into their small shared space to escape the pain and breathe for a minute or two, while she had wordlessly put barriers up around them both, shielding them from the blazing sensations racing through his body.

Still. He wouldn't be able to withstand it much longer. If he were to wager a guess, he was also sure that the Silveren military were well on a mission to free or kill him. Any day now.

It wouldn't end well for anyone involved.

With a sigh, he shifted his position. Almost time for his daily meeting with her. He looked up as he heard the door being opened and let his head drop again when it was only Sergeant Matt Donovan.

The kid and he had a rather… rough relationship. Enzo couldn't fault him of course, Matt was just a foot soldier, and Enzo the enemy. Didn't make it any more… pleasurable.

"What a nice surprise, seeing you in my humble abode," Enzo quipped, trying to engage. Anything to keep his mind from being preoccupied with itself.

Matt gave him a stony glare, and Enzo smirked.

"Aw, come on, Mattie. Don't be like that."

He heard the other man sniff in contempt. He was busy setting up his lovely satchel, ready to prod and poke and make Enzo more "susceptible" to Bonnie's advances, knowing full well that it wouldn't help.

Or, at least not with the cause. Maybe with his anger and hatred… "Happy to help as your very own aggression outlet," Enzo raised his chin, taunting the Sergeant more. He didn't know why he always did that. Bonnie had caught on to it, had begged him to just stay quiet. She didn't want any part in torture, she had said, and that he wasn't making it easy. He smiled at the memory.

He'd held her gaze, not saying anything for a long time. Then he'd whispered, "He's gonna do it anyway. I'm just making sure he knows he can't break me."

"Can't he, though?" Those eyes…

"Maybe _you_ can, but Donovan? No." He'd stared at her until she had looked away.

It was her face he focused on now, too, green eyes flickering in the image his mind conjured as Matt went about his gruesome task and Enzo clenched his jaw, bracing himself.

* * *

…

Bonnie's body felt sore when she walked out of the cabin that had become her home during the last weeks. Damon was smiling at her, giving her a brief hug.

"Good morning," he said, trying to sound chipper, but she merely looked at him tiredly and went on her way.

Her days were all the same. She went on a morning run, so early it was still dark, then she had meetings and briefings. A lunch break that she usually just used to take a nap and then Damon picked her up to go over to her partner. Lorenzo.

Life was a constant repetition of pain, her legs always burning from running too hard, her one outlet for all the pent up anger and frustration and helplessness. And then there was his pain, always there, sometimes less prominent, sometimes all encompassing.

Whenever it was the latter, she'd found herself trying to ease it, shield him.

Because despite what she had said, despite what she still made everyone believe, she didn't think how they were treating him was right at all. And she couldn't be a part of that. Treason or no. She'd just not tell anyone. She was pretty sure he wasn't going to do it either.

"I know you don't want to hear this, Bon Bon," Damon was just saying, "but you need to get this over with. You are the only thing that's keeping them from executing him right now."

"Thing?" She gave him a pointed look.

He huffed. "You know what I mean. - Listen, I talked this over with Elena. She's been meeting with a bunch of other Bonded and they all agree that the best way to get the information will be if you override his mind, like I told you."

She snorted, her breath building a plume of condensation as she did. It was still freezing, as if winter had decided to stay longer this year. Damon was making her more and more angry lately. He was worried about her, of course. But his worry, his constant empty suggestions weren't helping at all.

"You keep forgetting that my bond is not as strong-," she started, but he waved an arm, stopping her.

"No, I'm very aware. I am," his features softened, and he pulled her closer to him as they reached the big military building, its gray exterior as unwelcoming as ever. "The Bonded all seem to think that the special nature of your link might be the key. You can enter his mind when his defenses are down, you've done it before. But he hasn't been in yours, right? Only in that shared space?" She gave a brief nod. She'd tried to explain as much to him before. Damon's mouth formed the beginnings of a smile again as he continued, "What if you try and pull him in there?"

She frowned. "Into my head? Pull him, how?" She really wanted to know. All this talk about things that she still hadn't begun to understand, and a handful of strangers, all bonded to someone themselves, seemed to be thinking they'd figured it out for her?

"I told Matt to… intensify his treatment today."

"You what?!" She pulled away from him quickly, glaring at him from the side. She was so angry, and she knew he could see it. Yet he merely shrugged, then stepped forward to open the door.

"I don't want to see you die, Bonnie. Fell is not known for his endless patience, especially when it comes to the enemy. It's the first time in a very long time that we've been able to capture an Eternal alive; and he wants results. He wants it to count that he's been holding off on giving the public the morale boost they need and drown 'your partner'", he stressed the words with a raise of his eyebrows, "in the Pond of No Return, for everyone to see. And trust me, he doesn't care much about one single Golden woman that has had the misfortune of linking herself to Silverscum."

"Don't use that word," she hissed, helplessly, defeated. But Damon didn't even acknowledge that he'd heard her.

"He won't wait much longer," he added as the door fell shut behind them, the endless corridors waiting ahead of them. "Unless he'll see there's use in keeping him - and _you_ \- alive. I can't let you sacrifice yourself for nothing, Bon. I," he faltered, very unlike himself, and her frown deepened. "I need you, Bonnie. I... love you."

* * *

…

Before she had time to even remotely process the bomb he'd dropped on her, Matt Donovan was already by their side, ever their guide through the hallway maze. They never kept Lorenzo in the same room for long, no one was ever to know his exact location except for a very small handful of people. Once she'd seen him, they'd transfer him elsewhere yet again. Always on the move, between rooms, between buildings.

"How did it go today?" Damon was asking his fellow soldier as they went. Bonnie wasn't sure whether he wanted to deflect attention away from himself, whether he wanted to know about what Matt had done to the prisoner, or whether he was just making small talk to extinguish the silence.

"Alright," Matt gave them both a look, then pointed. "Just around that corner now. Second room to the left. He's… all ready for you, Ms. Bennett."

She'd told him to call her Bonnie at least once every day since she'd been here, but he never took her up on that offer. She was tired of hearing anyone refer to her as 'Ma'am or 'Ms.' She wanted to go home.

She tried reaching out through her mind-bond, tried to get a heads up on the state he was in before she'd have to face him in a few short moments. Was it bad? Did she need to brace herself? It seemed strange to her that she hadn't really felt much of him at all. But she knew that once the bandage was off, it masked all other pain to her, so she wouldn't know what else they had done to him.

When they came to a dark greenish door, identical to all other doors in the building, Matt gave them both one last quick glance, ending on Damon. "Major, the General wants you with him again," he nodded to the door right next to them, and Damon got the message.

He placed his hand briefly on the small of Bonnie's back, then off he went, leaving her more cold than before.

"I'll be waiting in the corner right by the door, as usual," Matt informed her, and she gave a brief nod. She was not ready. But nobody cared.

She kept her head down, trying not to catch Enzo's glimpse, not to look at him as she walked in. The first thing she thus noticed of him were his bleeding fingertips. That was new. Usually, they made sure he looked somewhat cleaned up when she came to visit. As if that could fool her. She frowned, then raised her head after all, her curiosity - or maybe even worry - peaked.

He was sitting very upright, tense, staring straight ahead. Which was also different. Normally, he was more slumped in on himself, and would only raise his head once she'd connected.

His face… Her mouth fell slightly open before she caught herself and bit her lip. They'd allowed him to shave - or maybe they had done it for him, surely not trusting him with any sharp objects. His hair was trimmed, his clothes were new, a plain shirt, a pair of pants, nothing special, but they suited him well, and she caught herself thinking that he cleaned up very very well.

 _Are you going on a date or something?_ She asked, a small smile on her face that faded quickly when he soberly stated,

 _I believe it was just to make the mock execution earlier seem even more real_ …

Bonnie almost forgot to breathe. That was what they were doing now? She felt a horribly uncomfortable prickling sensation creep up her spine, her legs. It was a feeling resembling her panic and shame when she'd been caught lying as a little girl, her parents' disappointment in her at the lie worse than the actual deed she'd lied about.

 _I'm… so sorry…_ She stammered, lost for anything meaningful to say. Because, what could she say?

 _Nothing_ , he told her, and she slumped into her chair opposite his, not even angry or surprised or shocked at the fact that he had heard her thoughts.

 _I guess Damon is right, then... He thinks they're not gonna wait much longer before they'll..._

 _Finish me off?_

She gimaced, but nodded. _He wants me to try and get that information out of you now. Or they'll kill you - and me…_

 _I know. I'm sorry; you don't deserve to die. But… I can't._

 _Please._

 _Bonnie…_

 _I know. You told me so. They don't care about me at all, even though I'm one of them. - I can't protect you. I can't even protect myself._

 _I'm not asking you to. All I want..._ He trailed off, looking somewhere to the side, away from her, away from the mirror. Bonnie found herself touching his hand briefly, a jolt going through him as she did, and she let go quickly. She couldn't look at the garish sight of his fingertips so she focused on the side of his face.

 _What_ _do_ _you want, Enzo?!_

He turned to smile at her. She was sure she had never seen such a weary and sad expression before. She tried to swallow, but her throat was so constricted it hurt.

 _To die_ …

Her eyes widened in shock. Suddenly, she felt so many emotions wash over her it was hard to keep them separate. She heard Damon say "I love you" again, and she wondered about Elena. Did she know? And why now? Why did he have to tell her, when they'd never have a chance at that love? She saw Enzo looking at her, remembered his angry tone again when she'd first bonded with him. Saw him now. Defeated, eyes no longer shuttered, but open wide, showing her that he, too, had a heart, a soul, vulnerable and raw.

It was all too much.

Without even completely knowing what she was doing, she followed a sudden impulse and got up, rushing over to the door where Matt was standing, waiting. She assessed him quickly, his uniform, his holster with a rare revolver poking out. A key chain...

"Sergeant Donovan, could you get me out of here for a moment?" she asked, her voice a mere breath. Donovan looked concerned and uncertain. This was not standard protocol. Her eyes pleaded with him, the com crackled, but before he had a chance to hear what the General had to say, Bonnie abruptly leaned in more and swiftly pulled Donovan's revolver out, then tried to pull at the chain.

He quickly tried to fight her off, he was a trained soldier after all and she but a mere civilian. But she had had the moment of surprise on her side and was now in possession of his weapon. She still needed the keys, though.

She flung herself away from him, pointing the revolver straight at his forehead.

"The keys," she ordered as he scrambled away, arms raised.

"Ms. Bennett, you won't be leaving this room alive if you don't lay down your weapon," the General's disembodied voice was saying just as the door opened and two armed soldiers and a very upset looking Damon entered. Except for him, everyone was aiming at her.

"Put it down, Bon. What are you doing?"

"Keys," she said again, trying her best to not look at Damon and instead concentrate on the Sergeant.

"I can't…"

Bonnie bit her lip, hissing, then she swooped over to Enzo, pulling his head up, baring his throat. She froze briefly upon seeing a thin reddish line wiggle itself around his neck, and swallowed, forcing herself to focus, to ignore it. She pushed the cool metal of the firearm against his skin and raised her chin.

 _I won't hurt_ you, she informed Enzo, feeling him swallow under her touch.

 _Don't, Bonnie. You'll only get in trouble._

She pressed her lips together, forcing herself to ignore him, too.

"Keys," she ordered again, staring at Donovan. She knew she was bartering with the devil. They had already threatened to kill Enzo themselves, of course. Damon had just told her how impatient the General was growing, after all. He wouldn't wait much longer. She was bargaining on the strength of their desire to get at least some information out of them first, or at the very least, command's wish to use an Eternal's death as propaganda. Didn't work so well when he was shot behind closed doors.

She really wasn't ready yet to die...

Donovan fumbled, the General's voice blabbed on in the background, time passed in a strange combination of slow motion and fast forward. Bonnie exchanged a glance with Damon.

Then suddenly, _he_ whirled around and took the keys from Donovan and threw them toward her. She stared up at them as they came flying, disbelieving. Had Damon really just... helped her with treason? The keys were still flying and then… she caught them in both hands swiftly, their light jingle the only noise for a long second. Then time returned to normal and she hurried to unshackle and unchain Enzo, pulling at his arm to help him stand.

 _Go_ , she told him, _go_ …

He gave her an intense look, imploring. _Not without you._

 _I can't leave with you._

 _You can't stay._

Her gaze locked on his, she froze. But there was no time. Matt Donovan was already on Damon, though m the latter had the upper hand, fighting the other few soldiers as well, when Enzo suddenly sprang into action, helping him.

"We gotta go _now_ ," Damon hissed at Bonnie, when the other men were finally down. There wouldn't be much time before reinforcements would come their way, and they'd be trapped. Slowly, she came out of her fog and her limbs started functioning again.

Did they even have a chance?

In the hallway, the General and his second in command were waiting, guns raised. Damon came to a halt, extending his arms to stop Bonnie and Enzo behind him.

"You're making a mistake, Major. This is treason."

""Maybe so, sir," Damon said, "But I choose to see it as me making a decision in favor of the Golden people. These two are the first ones to establish an active, working link between a Golden and a Silveren. Shouldn't we rather be investigating that? See it as a chance for peace for all of us, instead of using it as yet another weapon to prolong a war that shouldn't even ever have been?"

"Salvatore, you're treading on dangerous ground."

"Let us go, General."

"You know I can't…"

Damon sighed visibly, then nodded. "Of course not."

Then he abruptly shot the General point blank, not giving his second in command a chance to retaliate, and shot him, too, as Bonnie gasped in shock.

Enzo pulled her toward him, then away. Her legs were refusing to work. He put his arms around her quickly, dragging her off with him.

Damon was following quickly, soon catching up, and he began helping the other man carry Bonnie's weight as she tried to stumble on. This was all not happening. It couldn't.

What were they going to do now?


	5. Cold

_Thanks jannay, deenew and Jade. Your reviews always make my day. :)_

 _Thanks "Guest"! Glad you joined us - and don't worry too much about Damon: he won't be the focus of this story, though he is a part of it._

 _Jade: aw, thanks! And I'm just as happy to hear from you. Especially glad when you liked a chapter. But always open to criticism, too, of course._

* * *

...

They made it out of the building without another interference. The door fell shut behind them, sealing away the mess they'd left, though surely only for a little while longer before someone encountered it. But they couldn't think of that now. They needed to concentrate on what lay ahead.

Once they were outside, Damon pulled off his jacket, then handed it over to Enzo.

"Put that on. Otherwise you'll stick out like a sore thumb with your… arm and all," he pointed to the strangely gleaming material of the bandage that could barely be hidden by the sleeve of Enzo's shirt, and he took the jacket from Damon with a nod.

"We need to go, now. They'll sound an alarm soon. They may have already done so." Damon was all business, ushering the other two to follow him, while Bonnie's brain was still refusing to function properly. Her best friend had just shot two people. He'd done it to protect her…

"There should be fresh horses in the stalls over there. We need to split up. They'll be looking for us."

"She can't go alone." Enzo's voice sounded firm. He was still holding Bonnie upright, close to his side, though she was walking on her own again.

"She will have to."

They had reached the shed Damon had indicated. The soft rustle of hooves could be heard, and a few quiet noises from the animals inside. When they opened the large barn doors, they made a low groaning noise, and Bonnie froze. Had someone heard it? Were they coming for them already?

"Damon," she started, but he shook his head, pressing onward.

"We need to go, now. There's a… an old church twenty miles or so from here. It's pretty hidden. I found it on one of my supply runs. We'll split up, I'll ride north, you'll go the direct way, which is west, and Enzo… you'll come from the south."

"How do we find it?"

Damon gave the other man a brief look. "How good is your eidetic memory? I know you guys have pretty insane skills."

"It's alright…" Enzo cocked his head. Bonnie was standing huddled by his side, sensing some strange tension between the two men.

"It better be," Damon said, squinting at them both, then unfolding a small piece of paper, and taking out a pen. He quickly scribbled something on it, a map of sorts, Bonnie realized, then showed it to them. "You'll have to memorize this. We'll have to burn it with the barn once we're on our way."

"Wait, what? Burn the barn?" Bonnie was suddenly very alert. What was Damon's plan, exactly?

"We'll set the horses free so the General's troops won't be able to follow us as easily. The best way to do that, is setting a fire. That'll send the horses running. Neither of us can be found with any information on us qqwhere we're headed. I won't have any way of reaching either of you, but you…," he looked from Bonnie to Enzo, "you can communicate through here," he tapped his temple, "Enzo will have to show you the way, Bon." He shot her a glance, then glared at the man by her side again. "You better not fuck this up. I swear I'll find you if you bail on her."

"I won't."

Damon leaned forward, his face almost touching Enzo's. He cocked his head, gauging. Enzo's gaze didn't flicker. Damon sniffed, wiped a hand across his nose, then pulled away again.

"Good. - Let's go," he said, guiding them over to a couple of happily feeding horses. "Take these two," he told them, nodding. "I'll be right out, too."

He waited until Bonnie and Enzo had mounted the horses and exchanged one last look with Bonnie.

"Damon," she began, but he didn't let her finish. He grabbed her hand tightly for one moment, smiling sadly, then whispered, "I'll see you on the other side."

With that, he gave her horse a clap and it quickly trotted off, Enzo digging his heels into the sides of his own horse to follow her.

Damon smiled to himself, then grabbed a match from his pocket, lit it on fire against the carrying pillar beside him and set the paper with the makeshift map on fire. He watched the flames grow for a few seconds until he almost burned his fingers, then dropped the paper on the floor, the straw catching on fire immediately. He grabbed the reins of the nearest horse, then pulled himself up swiftly before the poor animal realized what was happening and cajoled it into a gallop.

When he rode out of the shed, he could hear Elena in his mind, could feel her worry, her anger and despair. _I'm sorry_ , he told her, _We'll talk once-_

 _Once what, Damon? You just… jeopardized all of our lives._

 _I'm sorry, Lena. You deserve-_

 _You have one last chance to make this right, Damon. Stick to the plan from now on. Report back to me._ She paused, but he knew what she wanted to say. He could feel it. See it. He clenched his teeth, welcoming the cold air in his face.

 _You shouldn't have killed them, Damon._

 _It had to look real. It had to_ be _real._

 _You let him go._

 _I didn't 'let him go.' I thought that was the plan: get them out, let them work on their bond in the perceived safety of a hideout. Get him to show her what he knows…_

 _The plan was to stay with them, at all times. The plan was to fake an escape, not kill a fucking General, Damon! How do you think I'm supposed to explain that to command here?_

 _Don't._

He focused hard on the wind to block her out, urging his horse on. He had to get away. Not just from this place, from whoever they'd send after them. But from her, too. At least for a little while. He knew it wouldn't be for long. It already hurt to block her out…

 _Damon… Damon…_

He needed time. He needed to think. Alone.

 _You know that's impossible. I'm sorry..._

* * *

…

Bonnie clung to her horse as it made its way over uneven territory, the cold wind beating at them mercilessly. The weather had taken a turn for the worse in the last few hours since she'd set out on her escape ride, and temperatures had dropped way below freezing once more.

She'd started out fast, making good way on her journey, and she'd quickly deduced that Damon had picked the easiest route of the three for her. She was grateful for that if also annoyed. He should have given that route to Enzo, who was not in the greatest shape. She was beginning to notice it more and more over their shared bond, though he was quite obviously trying to keep it from her.

Since he was constantly sharing images of the map with her, helping her with her poor sense of direction as they went, she could also feel his increasing exhaustion.

 _The cold is getting to you, too,_ she realized and he didn't deny it.

 _We are just not made for this weather._

 _Or torture_ , she thought, only realizing she'd communicated that over the link when he calmly conceded,

 _No one's made for that._

She was about to go on a sudden rant about how his people were treating hers, how their atrocious weapons - his being one of them - tortured her people rather than swiftly killing them in combat. But then she finally saw a dark structure emerge ahead of her, and she turned her focus toward that.

 _I think I can finally see our destination,_ she said, and she was surprised to feel relief coming from him, though he didn't say anything.

She tried to get her horse to quicken its pace for a last time as the path evened out once more, and in a few more minutes she reached the old building, slowing the tired horse down into a trot, then gently stroking its head as she whispered "Thank you," then moved to get off.

Her legs were achy, her whole body stiff, as her boots thudded down on the snowy ground and she made her way closer to the now large and looming looking church. She was surprised how intact it seemed to be, even its bell tower. She took a deep breath. As she exhaled, she took the horse by the bridle and walked it closer to the tall front doors where she found the remains of an old fence, half buried in the snow, and she decided to tether the horse to it so it wouldn't run away.

Then Bonnie slowly went up the few stairs. She wished she could tell Damon, too, that she had made it out here. But she'd have to hope for the best and wait till he got there as well.

The doors opened with a low squeak, and she turned around, half expecting someone to be there and jump out at her. But the night remained quiet. She quickly made herself step inside and felt instant disappointment when she noticed just how cold it was in there, not much difference to the outside temperature. She looked around, her eyes already accustomed to the dark, and could make out a few rows of pews to either side of an aisle leading toward a small altar and what looked like the pipes of an organ.

She briefly wondered whether the instrument still worked. She hadn't heard music in such a long time… of course she couldn't risk trying it out now.

She was unsure of what to do. Try and get a fire started? Inspect the church more to find any potential backdoors? A bathroom maybe? A bathroom would be good right about now…

As she made her way toward the back, she felt Enzo's presence at the edges of her conscience. Suddenly, she had the strange sense of a growing distance between them, like he was drifting off or away from her, and it made her feel deeply concerned, almost panicky.

 _Enzo?_ She called out to him, but he didn't respond. She was starting to lose him.

She hadn't realized it, but she had stopped in her tracks and was just standing in the middle of the aisle now, eyes staring unseeingly ahead, when something suddenly touched her shoulder.

"What a nice surprise, Bon Bon. I'm glad you made it." She had whirled around to Damon's relieved looking face, and she furrowed her brow upon seeing him. He broke into a grin, backing off a little. "Well, I'm sorry if you were expecting someone else…"

But Bonnie was just confused. Out of it. How long had she been standing in that aisle, disconnected from the world.

"Damon…"

"Where is our favorite Silverscum, anyways? He should be here by now."

"Damon," she began, grabbing his arm as the panicked feeling came back, threatening to overwhelm her. "I can't reach him. I can't really feel him anymore. I'm," she was stammering, she couldn't help it, "something's wrong. I feel… I feel funny…"

He was holding her by the arms now, but when she looked at him, she had a hard time figuring out whether he was real, or just a figment of her imagination. An apparition caused by her mind alone.

"Damon…" She whispered. She wanted to say more, but her tongue was refusing to work, her brain feeling frigheningly paralyzed and numb.

Was she dying?

Was Enzo dead? Was that why?

* * *

...

"Bon. Bonnie! Oh, fuck," Damon looked around himself, assessing the place. It was still as he'd last seen it, windows still blocked by wooden bars, pews untouched. No one else besides him had come here. Good.

He'd need to leave her here for a bit. If he wanted to get a chance at saving her, he'd have to go out there again. Her partner was dying. He knew it in his heart. He'd seen it happen to others before.

He wasn't going to let that happen. Bonnie couldn't die. She was better than any of them combined. She was the future…

"Come on, Bon. Let's sit you down."

Slowly, he picked her up, carrying her over to the nearest pew and laying her down on it. He made sure she wasn't going to fall off, then gently kissed her forehead before rushing over to the back of the church where he'd stashed some blankets before.

He pulled a few of them out, bringing them all over to her, wrapping her up as best as he could.

Her lips were the same color as her cheeks, an ashen tinge to them that worried him. He needed to hurry.

That bastard had better not died just yet.

"I'll go find him for you, Bon. I'll make sure he's okay. I'll be back. You just hang in there. Please…"

 _What's going on?_

Elena… He sighed. He couldn't do this now. She'd have to get it all out of him herself. He knew she would. No need to actively divulge any information if she could just read it in him herself.

 _Not going according to plan at all, is it? I hope you'll get to him in time. I talked to General Maxwell. He is, dare I say it, 'glad' that you got Fell out of the way. Turns out the man has been on a list for a while. Making decisions command hasn't approved of. He was supposed to bring Bonnie's link-partner over here weeks ago._ She made a pause. Damon was already out by his horse again, the poor animal sweaty and tired from the long ride. He hoped he wouldn't have to go far or they might all die…

 _You haven't tried reading any of this in my mind, Damon. You've retreated. You're so far away from me these days. Are we okay?_

 _We are, Elena. I'm just… busy, is all. In over my head. I hate that Bon had to be dragged into this mess. She's…_

 _I know. I love her too. And we don't want to lose her. We won't, Damon. Now go. The church is safe. Maxwell has seen to it that no one will try and follow you, either. Besides, they don't know where you are._

 _Please don't tell them, Lena._ He had hopped onto the horse's back and was adjusting his position in the saddle.

 _I won't._

He had to believe her. He wanted to. But somewhere deep down, a feeling began to grow in him, distrust. And it was eating at him.

 _I'll let you go._

And with that, he dug into the horse's flanks and raced off as fast as the poor animal could still go, snow flying as they went.

* * *

...

He was cold and exhausted, the moonless night dark and almost impenetrable around him. He needed to find the man. Soon.

He didn't know what he would do if he didn't.

What if he had already died?

He shook his head, forcing himself to not entertain such pessimistic thoughts and went on. The horse was tired, too. Eventually he just got off and stalked through the snow, holding the bridle loosely. "You're a good girl," he whispered. "I'm sorry for pushing you so hard. We just need to find him. If he dies, so will Bonnie. That can't happen."

The horse nuzzled him from behind, as if it understood, and Damon smiled sadly. Then, suddenly, he cocked his head. A sound. Was that…

He walked past a few shorter bushes, finally seeing what he'd set out to find. The Eternal, Bonnie's partner. He held his breath, and bit his lip as he rushed over there.

The man was laying on the ground, no horse in sight, and Damon quickly bent down to lightly touch his neck, feeling for a pulse. When he finally felt the smallest sign of life, he closed his eyes briefly, then knelt down to lift the other man up.

"Lorenzo, my friend, you are heavy," he told him, then addressed his horse. "I'll have to put him on your back, I'm sorry, girl. He's just a little too much dead weight for me right now. Please don't tell anyone. Don't want to deconstruct the myth here. You know, of the strong man and all…"

He chuckled, trying to distract himself. He was running out of time. Even in the dark of night he could tell that the Silveren's lips were icy blue, his temperature way too low from lying on the cold ground for however long. "What happened to you, huh?" He asked the unconscious man, not expecting an answer, as he tried to hoist him up onto the horse.

When he'd finally succeeded, he was panting, more exhausted than ever, and ready to take a break. But there was no time.

"Alright," he mumbled to himself, "Let's get you to Bon. And don't you dare die on me now."

He quickly made sure that the bandage was still in place, glancing at the man's torn out fingernails and flinched. Maybe Damon should have had him ride the directest route. He'd wanted Bonnie to get to the church safely. She'd been the weakest link, or so he'd thought, because unlike him and Enzo, she wasn't military. She had no training. He'd worried about her more, because he cared about her.

He'd completely disregarded anything they might have done to the prisoner, anything that might have weakened him.

He'd messed this one up. If he died, if Bonnie died, it would be because of him.

"Go!" He yelled at the horse and tried to run alongside it as they made their way back to the church.

* * *

…

Bonnie had come out of whatever stupor she'd been in only to find herself laying on one of the benches, thick blankets over her, but she was still shivering.

And she still needed to pee.

As she made her way over to a small door she had spotted beside the altar, she remembered seeing Damon. So he'd really been there. And he'd left again, to find Enzo.

Her breath hitched. If she was still here, that meant he was still alive. There was still hope.

Much to her relief she found a small bathroom stall, old and out of order, but she didn't care. She'd use it anyway. She pulled her pants down, her thick coat up and perched herself over the toilet bowl, feeling incredible and instant relief when she emptied her bladder after so many hours. She was ridiculously grateful for the dwindling supply of paper towels she found on top of the toilet and used one to wipe herself, then put her clothes back on.

When she was done, she took a quick peek into a small and cracked mirror over the tiny sink, almost shocked to see who was staring back at her.

Her skin looked dull, her eyes tired, with huge shadows framing them. Her hair was an unkempt mess, and her lips the color of… something dead.

Out of some random sense of vanity (or just a desire to live?), she pinched her cheeks and rubbed her lips, trying to get a semblance of livelihood back, and to her surprise, she did feel a little better already.

She had just gone back over to her pile of blankets, very slowly, her legs didn't quite want to work all that well, when suddenly, the door flew open and in came a gust of snowy wind and then Damon, dragging someone else in.

Enzo.

She gasped and jolted up, trying to meet them quickly. She stumbled and fell, her body protesting, refusing service. But she got up again right away. She had to. And she ran.

"He's too cold," she heard Damon rasp, exhaustion on his features, and a sheen of perspiration, despite the cold, when she got to them.

"Had to carry him the last mile or so," he panted as if by way of explanation, and she nodded. "Friggin' horse collapsed…"

She gave him a look, unsure of what to think or feel or do. He dropped Enzo on the ground, falling to his knees as he did, and just stared at her.

"We need to get him warm," Damon said, "I'm not sure what happened. Might have just been the cold, you know how they are…"

And she did. The Silveren were summer people…

"Maybe the torture… we'll have to check his injuries. Just… I need a moment…" He was panting so much now, his voice gave out, and Bonnie smiled at him.

"Thank you," she whispered, as she pulled Enzo closer to her, suddenly remembering an old lesson on hypothermia; skin warming skin better than anything else… Then, much to her own surprise and Damon's shock, she opened her coat, and took off her sweater, shivering at the cold air striking her.

"What are you doing?"

"Getting him warm. Can you get me the blankets?"

He stared for a moment, then nodded, making himself get up and over to the pew.

She quickly unbuttoned Enzo's shirt, briefly examining the marks on his torso, his arms, then she pulled him close to her. When Damon came back with the blankets, she nodded to the ground and he laid them down, finally fully understanding what she was doing.

As she was carefully laying down, still holding Enzo close, her warm skin was touching the ice that was his, and she could almost feel a little bit of life coming back to him. Then Damon spread another blanket above them, tucking them in carefully, and she looked up at him briefly.

"Sorry for flashing you," she suddenly said, and he broke into an honest laugh.

"That should be the least of your worries. Besides, there's absolutely no need to apologize," he replied and wiggled his eyebrow at her playfully. "That guy," he pointed with a nod of his head, "doesn't even deserve you. He's a lucky bastard."

"Not sure I'd call it lucky, after everything...," she whispered, drifting off, suddenly feeling the strong pull of exhaustion as she lay in her cocoon of warmth.

And Enzo's shallow breaths were slowly lulling her into a deep sleep...


	6. A suggestion

_Thanks all for reading and especially for the feedback._

 _kpmindc_ : _hope you caught your plane! Don't want to be responsible for any trouble there. lol_

 _Jade: that was my favorite part, too! :) There'll be something more soon..._

 _deenew: we are getting there! Fear not! :)_

* * *

…

Sun shone through the cracks of the wooden boards in front of the windows. A few of the stained glass panes were still intact. After all this time, they were still beautiful to behold, and the few rays of sunshine that managed to touch them from the outside made them sparkle with vibrant colors.

When Enzo had first opened his eyes, deeply exhausted, but somehow feeling the pull of consciousness, his brain had had difficulty processing what he saw.

Prisms of color. Misty morning air. The smell of days long gone. And then her bare neck, her long slender arms draped around him, a stark contrast to his own paleness. Her head had been resting on his bare chest, her hair like a soft cloud around it. He'd been so confused he hadn't even frowned. He'd just taken it as what it was, a fact.

He breathed her in, strangely comforted by their intimate embrace, when she opened her eyes, too, blinking when their gazes met.

"You're up," she breathed, her cheeks flushing so adorably he had to smile. She pushed herself up and into a sitting position, shily draping a blanket over herself, sweeping loose hair out of her face once she was done. And all he could suddenly think of of was the lack of her warmth against his body, the absence of her heartbeat next to his.

"I was just trying to get you warm…" Her voice was not much more than a quiet whisper, her lips forming a half smile when she fell silent.

For some reason, words didn't want to form, and he could just stare up at her for a while, a quiet between them so peaceful and profound that he could hear the breaths she was taking.

In and out. In and out.

"Enzo?" She sounded very uncertain. Her green eyes on him, he felt real concern, and the sensation was so foreign, so jarring, that he was suddenly very self conscious and sat up too abruptly. For a moment, the world swayed dangerously around him, and he was glad he wasn't standing. Then he felt her hand on his bare shoulder, and the swaying came to a stop.

"Are you okay? I'm sorry if I…"

"No. I'm sorry…" He was still staring at her.

She smiled at him.

"Well look who's up," another voice suddenly said, and it was as if the moment shattered into a jumble of tiny pieces around them. Enzo looked over to where the voice was coming from, while Bonnie quickly put a sweater on that had lain among the blankets somewhere.

Damon was grinning widely at them both, something in his hands, and Enzo soon realized it was a dead rabbit, it's fresh hot blood steaming in the ice cold air.

"I brought lunch. Or breakfast. Whatever you want to call it. - Bon, it looks like you saved the Scum's life again." He sounded casually chipper, and Enzo felt the sudden urge to snap at him.

"Well, technically, I wouldn't have needed saving if she hadn't done her thing with me," he tapped his head before getting on his feet, picking up his shirt as he did. He quickly put it on, hiding his scars and injuries underneath, including his bandaged arm. He rubbed over it absently once he was dressed again, then found himself facing an unhappy looking Bonnie.

He cocked his head, lips curling into a half smile. _You're upset_.

 _I'm_ …

He could tell she wanted to ignore him, didn't want him to see how angry she was, but she failed miserably, and he had to stifle a full-blown smile so as not to anger her even more. _You keep bringing this up like I had a choice. I told you I didn't. It just happened! Okay? Can we move on now?_

 _Bonnie_.

 _I'm not a horrible person! I would have never… if I had known they'd torture you… if…_

To Enzo's horror, tears started welling in her eyes, and a flustered looking Damon suddenly rushed over shoving Enzo hard. "What the hell did you do, huh? Huh?!"

"Calm down, man." Enzo pushed the other man off him, trying to step away. But Damon wasn't making it easy.

"You made her cry. She saved your fucking worthless life and you made her cry?!" His face was not an inch away from Enzo's when he threatened to move forward even more, but Enzo didn't back down.

He grinned at the other man, then calmly said, "I believe you could also say she was just trying to save her own…"

"You fu-"

"Damon, stop." Bonnie's quiet voice could be heard, and Enzo took pleasure in the fact that she hadn't reprimanded him as well.

"He's insulting you, Bon. He made you cry. Do you think I'll just stand by and-"

"Yes! Yes, gosh, Damon. That's exactly what you're going to do! This is _my_ business!"

Damon looked from Bonnie back to Enzo, exasperation making him momentarily speechless. He was still in his personal space, but Enzo smirked at him anyways. "You heard the lady. I'm her business…"

Damon glared at him, ready to punch, when Bonnie called his name again, and he suddenly backed off, grumbling something under his breath that sounded a lot like, "I'll get a fire going, and don't blame me if I roast a certain Silver someone alongside this bunny here…"

With that, he stomped off, not before stopping right next to Bonnie and whispering something in her ear. Enzo was acutely aware of the way she put a caring hand gently on Damon's cheek for a moment, before they parted and she stalked over to where he was standing.

He looked at her, saw the tears still gleaming in her eyes. He clenched his teeth, fighting with something, when she suddenly bent down and picked up the jacket Damon had given him the day before.

"We'll need to find you something warmer to wear…."

"Bonnie..."

She wasn't looking at him when he took the piece of clothing from her, and it gave him a pang.

"Can't risk you freezing to death out there. Because, you're right. I care about my own life." She suddenly looked up to him, and there was a gleam of fight in her eyes.

"I'm sorry that I upset you," he quietly allowed, stepping just a little closer to her, gently tapping her chin to make her look at him. When she raised her head toward him, he continued, "I'm not blaming you. I… know a thing or two about having no choice in the matter." He lifted his arm ever so slightly, to underscore his point, and he could tell by the softening of her features that she believed him, and he smiled a small smile. "I know you didn't actively do this - or choose me. Doesn't mean I can't hate it, does it?"

She worried her lips, suddenly looking more upset again, but she didn't move.

"I've had things done to me before, Bonnie. Things I hated. I've learned to live with them," he had to tap her chin again and saw that it was wobbling as she tried to keep herself from starting to cry. _I'll learn to live with this. And so will you_.

 _How? We are… enemies, Lorenzo_ ," she started sobbing. Out of the corner of his eye, Enzo saw Damon look over to them from where he sat, busily skinning the small animal. His attention quickly returned to Bonnie when she went on, _We_ _are on the run. I can't go back to my own people. I can't go anywhere. I'm forever linked to the enemy, and I just don't know how to handle this whole bond. It was never supposed to be like this._

 _You can come with me. Stay with me._

He meant it.

...

Bonnie snorted at his suggestion - or was it a proposal?

"I can't do that."

"Why not?" He had cocked his head, giving her a genuinely curious look. It made her smile.

What was going on with her? One night spent next to his half naked body and she was falling for him? Was that it? He was still the enemy. Bonding with him had upended her entire existence, jeopardizing her whole identity as a Golden. And here she was, actually considering his vague offer.

She really hoped he couldn't hear any of her thoughts…

"You could just hand me over to your… authorities," she challenged, but he gave a light shake of his head.

"You don't know much about me, Bonnie Bennett, bond or not. You don't know very much about us."

"Which is why I can't trust you,"'she said, but with a grin, and he smirked back at her.

"Touché."

"Everything alright over there?" Damon was suddenly yelling over from his spot by the altar, and Bonnie nodded over to him absently. For a brief moment she wondered why he had decided to skin and cook the stupid rabbit inside, but then she realized it was because of her. He didn't want to leave her alone. She was both flattered and annoyed by that, and surprised that the annoyance was slowly growing stronger.

Something else was happening, and she suddenly realized what that was. She had been in love with Damon Salvatore for what seemed like forever. She'd gotten used to the feeling of unrequited love. She'd gotten used to pining after a man that would forever only be a friend to her. And then he'd sprung his own love on her at a time where she'd not expected it to happen anymore. At a time when she had finally, finally come to terms with that and had found something else to focus on.

Someone.

And now her feelings were all over the place.

"Ya," was all she said, smiling briefly in his direction, and she could tell by the look he gave her that he wasn't quite convinced.

 _You can go with him, too_ , Enzo suddenly suggested, raising a brow at her as if he'd seen right through her, _but you'd be at his mercy_.

 _At his mercy? He's my friend. He was the one saving your life yesterday. He did it for me_ , she pointedly told him, challengingly. _He's been there for me through a lot. If anything, I'll be safest with him. I trust him with my life. While I don't trust you with anything_.

She couldn't quite read his expression at all, it was guarded, his eyes and mind shuttered again. She almost physically felt the distance between them grow again, when suddenly he said, _He was there after they killed your family, wasn't he_?

She swallowed drily, shocked. She knew he'd been there when she'd had the nightmare, had seen it happen. But she hadn't ever expected him to bring it up again, nonchalantly, in conversation…

 _Yes_ , she allowed, and Enzo nodded.

 _I'm_ _glad_. He paused, contemplating, then he sighed deeply _. But Bonnie-_

 _There is no 'but_ ,' she objected, bristling. Before she had a chance to make up her mind whether she wanted to discuss this any longer or simply walk away, however, he'd already continued with his reasoning.

 _Can you honestly say that you can still trust him? Or, should I say, can you trust the one he's linked to? In your current situation? - Where is she, anyways? It's a she, right? - More importantly, who is she with_? He sighed, and she hated him, or herself, or maybe just the whole damn situation, when she noticed that he'd succeeded. She hadn't thought about Elena all that much in the last few weeks. At least not in the ways Enzo seemed to have. Elena was her friend, one of a pair of best friends she'd had for so long she couldn't imagine life without them anymore.

But Enzo was right. Damon had a constant link to her. And even though she wanted to trust them both like she'd always had, she was now wanted. Bonded to an enemy soldier.

"Damon is just as much on the run as we are. He killed a General. For us," she said out loud, retreating.

Enzo grimaced. "That may be so. But it doesn't counter my argument: What about her?"

"She's my friend, too. She wouldn't do anything to harm me-"

"If it could save her link-partner? And thus herself?"

She wanted to say more, but she couldn't. She wanted to bring up loyalty, and trust again. But the seeds of doubt had been sown, and she was more lost than before.

She'd have to talk to Damon. They had to…

She gave Enzo a long look, his gaze trained on hers, never breaking contact. She felt him reach out to her through their bond, felt herself open up to it, almost involuntarily.

Then she closed her eyes, letting herself float for a bit, following her thoughts, his emotions, just diving in, trying to forget the outside world for a bit.

It was a bit of a surprise to still feel so much pain hiding behind his barriers, as if she had forgotten the ordeal of the last couple days. Weeks…

 _You're still hurting_ , she stated.

 _I always will. You are, too_.

She smiled to herself. _That'll also never change_ , she allowed sadly.

 _You make it easier for me, though. While I make it harder for you. I'm sorry_.

His words startled her, the honesty behind them, the vulnerability she could discern.

 _You're strong, Bonnie Bennett. Stronger than me. Maybe it'll work out for you. Maybe, if you'll just let me get on my way-_

 _Enzo…_

 _I'd leave right away, but I doubt I'd make it very far. I could probably use another day or two to_ … He didn't continue, but he didn't have to. She knew what he meant, and she knew it was true. He needed time to recuperate. Probably more than two days, too.

And she didn't want him to go.

...


	7. Shattered

_Thanks again! So happy to see there are a few of you out there that get some enjoyment out of this!_

 _Special thanks today go out to 1 Fan, Lupin111, Juno, and deenew: thanks for your feedback! So very much appreciated._

 _Juno: just a little while longer... but we're getting ever closer. Always. :)_

 _1 Fan and Lupin: happy to have you on board for this adventure!_

 _deenew: I hate "Bonnie-doesn't-have-a-clue" so we'll soon have some development there. I just love how strong she is and it was often so underplayed on the show. I hope I'm not making the same mistake..._

 _Anyways. High time to continue this..._

* * *

…

A small fire was crackling by the altar. Damon was sitting perched over it with a stick in his hand, roasting the rabbit's meat carefully.

He'd discarded the skin and entrails and other matters of his gruesome butchering job earlier. If they were to stay in his hideout for a while, they didn't want it to smell and look like death.

Bonnie and Enzo were still standing over by the pile of blankets, as if lost to the world, or just lost in their minds, and he couldn't deny feeling a bit left out, and yes, jealous.

The Silveren was doing something to Bonnie, and he didn't like it.

 _She's growing away from you._

Elena. Damon took a deep breath, weary and defeated. She wasn't wrong.

 _Looks like she's finally found something beside her knitting and classes and girls' nights out to occupy herself with._

 _You don't like that it's a 'he_.'

 _I don't like that it's a Silveren. A freaking Eternal to boot_.

 _We always knew there'd be a high chance for her to end up with a bond. Her parents both had one, after all._

Damon sniffed, rubbing his nose absently as he listened to her voice inside his head. She sounded so close, yet he hadn't seen her face in weeks, hadn't lain with her, touched her skin. It was almost as if she was just that voice in his mind now.

 _Of course_ , he allowed. _But no one ever said anything about a Silveren being involved. This is a mess, Lena_.

 _And it doesn't help that you're in love with her…_

He didn't know what to say. He'd been able to ignore it, keep it to himself for the longest time. But something must have shifted. The thought, the feeling, must have grown too strong to shove it back into the darkest corner of his brain, hiding it away from himself and thus from her. He wasn't going to deny it.

He couldn't.

When he didn't say anything for a long time, Elena eventually piped up again. By then, the rabbit was done and he waved over to the other two, inviting them to join him.

Bonnie nodded, then he saw them both slowly walk over to him.

 _Any progress_? Elena asked.

He almost shook his head. Sometimes, even after three years with the bond, he still forgot to rein in his reflexes to give bodily clues in conversation. _It hasn't even been a full day yet since we got here_.

 _Right. It's just… Maxwell learned that his son was at the interrogation quarters, and he's pretty livid._

 _I didn't kill Matt._

 _I know. But you're in this deep now, Damon. We need to show him some good will. I need something. Anything_.

He hated this. Hated himself for it. Being in a position like his, basically spying on his best friend, setting her up in a way-

 _You're not setting her up. You're trying to save her. Again. You're trying to get all information out of her partner now so that we can swoop in and lock him up and she won't ever have to deal with him again._

 _He's still her link partner._

 _He's the passive one. You said their link connection is not very strong. She is still pretty much her own separate being, right? Not like us._

 _No. Not like us._

"This actually looks pretty mouth-watering. I must be starved." Bonnie's bright voice jolted him back to the here and now, and the church and the fire slowly came back into focus as Elena faded into the background once more.

 _I need_ something, _Damon_ …

"Only the best for my favorite gourmand, my dear. I'd serve it with potatoes and maybe some green beans. But we are all out of potatoes-"

"And all out of beans," she concluded, smiling wistfully. "Thanks for doing this, Damon."

"Killing bunnies? Cooking?"

"Looking out for me… us. Helping us."

He raised his eyebrows, then nodded to her with a grin. "Anything for you, Bon. I'll even save the Silverscum of the earth for you." He shot Enzo a glance, both men gauging each other. But to his surprise, the Silveren didn't say anything and just sat down heavily on the opposite side. Almost as if he wanted to keep tabs on each and every one of Damon's movements. Which was probably the real reason. The man was an elite soldier after all.

"How's your girl?" Enzo suddenly asked, and Damon had to blink at the question. He cocked his head, masking his frown with a halfhearted grin. "My girl?"

"Your 'link-partner'?'"

Bonnie was rolling her eyes at Damon as she took a piece of meat from his outstretched hand. "He means Elena…"

"In that case: thanks, she's doing well. A little busy at the hospital lately. With you guys attacking us left and right. Stupid Eternal - colleague of yours - wreaked some havoc among our troops down in Mystic Falls. Heard they got him, though. He's now dead of course. Got the good old Pond treatment."

He was taunting Enzo. He had no such information. That an Eternal had wounded a lot of their people, that part was true. But the Pond… or even that they'd caught the Bearer, he'd made it up on the spot. Elena hadn't had that kind of information. Or maybe he just hadn't looked for it. As far as he knew, the pond hadn't seen a Silveren in at least a decade.

"What is the Pond treatment?" Enzo looked genuinely curious, the only emotion Damon could make out in the other's features. His own frown deepened.

"You haven't heard of the Pond of No Return?"

Enzo shrugged, biting into a charred piece of meat that Damon had handed him. "Should I?"

"I guess our propaganda isn't as great as our people hope, huh, Bon?" He said, throwing a glance in her direction. She made a face, shaking her head briefly. Like she didn't want him to dwell on the matter. "Well, I guess at least it works on our side. When yet another Eternal is drowned in the lake, our people will cheer for days. They'll celebrate." He looked at Enzo somewhat triumphantly, but the Silveren remained oddly cool.

"So your people don't celebrate very often."

Damon clenched his jaw.

"Because I know for a fact that hardly any of us ever get caught alive. You could say I'm the inglorious exception. I'm sure my people would be just as thrilled as yours if you'd just dump me in that lake."

"Watch it, or I might."

"Actually, I'm curious about that, _Damon_ ," Enzo put the focus of his intonation on the name, and it got under Damon's skin for some reason.

"Oh ya? What makes you so curious there?"

"Enzo…"

Damon didn't avert his gaze from the other man, though he was acutely aware of the tone in Bonnie's voice, like a warning, but also so… confidential, and he felt like a third wheel at hearing it.

It was not a great feeling. Suddenly he began to understand how Bonnie must have felt whenever she was out and about with him and Elena. How had she been able to stand it?

"Come on, love. Let's try and have him answer our burning questions."

Bonnie sounded tired when she spoke next. "I don't think I want to have any part in that."

"That's quite alright. I'm perfectly happy to do it myself."

Damon sighed, annoyed. The rabbit was almost gone, Enzo had barely had any of it, and now Damon couldn't help but take the last piece of meat and bite into it with all the pleasure and verve he could muster. The Silveren merely grinned at him.

"It's good meat, you should really have some more. Oh, wait…"

"Very funny. Anyways. What I wanted to know… how far would you go for Bonnie? And how far would you go for Elena?"

"What kind of question is that?" Damon leaned back a little, wary.

"Well. You keep playing Bonnie's knight in shining armor, though she's far from being a damsel in distress, mind you. I'm just curious… who will win if you're ever being put into a situation where you'll have to choose?"

"Why would I have to choose? This is not a-"

"Because your 'Elena' is now with the enemy-"

"She's with our troops."

Enzo shook his head. "You killed their General. Bonnie is linked to the enemy - to me. None of us are on the Golden side. They will be after you for treason. There's no coming back from that, unless…"

Damon jumped up, angry. "Unless what?! What are you insinuating? Huh?! _You_ are the enemy. Bonnie and I-"

"Did you listen to me? You are endangering her, Damon. Can you say that you are truly on her side? Have her best interests at heart?"

"Enzo…" It was Bonnie. Damon found himself looking at her exasperatedly.

"Where is this coming from, huh? Can you believe him?" She gave him a strange look, apologetic. And suddenly he understood.

"Do _you_ think he has a point? I've killed for you, Bon. I've…"

"I know, Damon. I… he's just worried. We don't know who Elena is talking to. She knows we are here, and we don't have any control over who she talks to."

"She's your best friend! You… you went to freaking school together! Why would you even begin to entertain these stupid ideas he plants into your brain?!"

Bonnie had gotten up, too, and was facing him now. He was bristling, so upset he couldn't even put it into words. But her sad expression gave him pause.

"He has a point, Damon. I didn't want to hear it, or believe it. I still don't. But I _am_ wary. I'm scared. This is new for all of us. There's never been anyone in a link-relationship with a Silveren before." She bit her lip, looking briefly over to her partner, then back to him, "When I was a little girl, I always dreamed of being special. I dreamed of being a princess, of finding my prince, just like how my parents had found each other." She chuckled to herself, but she looked so sad it pained him. "When I met you… I really didn't like you at all. You were cocky, and rude-"

"Hey hey," he made, smiling sadly, then falling quiet once more, listening to what she had to say.

"And you took my best friend away from me," she air quoted, grinning awkwardly, "But then I got to know you better. And when my parents…," she choked down a sob and he gently touched her arm, "you were there for me, Damon. You've always been there for me, ever since. And I fell in love with you. Of course you were with Elena, and I wanted you two to be happy, but deep down… I still had the smallest and stupidest of hopes that maybe, through some weird stroke of luck, she'd end up with a link-partner and fall in love with him instead. And then… we all know how that ended. Don't get me wrong, Damon. I've always been happy for you guys. I just… it was never about me, you know? But now it is."

"It's always been about you, too, Bon," he tried, but she shook her head.

"I need to look out for myself now, Damon. Because someone else is relying on me. Really truly relying on me. This is a chance for all of us, a Golden and a Silveren together like this? But it's also pretty terrifying, and I feel like we have the world against us. I can't just trust anyone anymore. I wish I could; I know it's not fair. But war isn't fair either."

"I know." He'd seen right through her. How she had talked without saying much, never really saying that she suspected anything. But he know she did, and the worst, he knew she was right to do so. He sighed, dropping down where he had sat before, looking at both of them, then letting his head droop. "And you're right," he muttered, defeated, tired of keeping up a facade. "He is right… Elena-"

 _Damon, don't_.

"We are working together with command. This has all been their plan," he didn't want to see Bonnie's face drop, but he could feel the change in atmosphere, could hear her suck in air too violently.

"What?"

"Since when has your command been involved?" Enzo's voice sounded level, emotionless.

"Since you've been captured."

"The whole escape…"

"Their idea."

He felt Bonnie slump down opposite him, close to where Enzo was now standing. He caught a glimpse of his hand on her head, an intimate gesture that Bonnie didn't shrug off. They were growing closer. Whether they wanted to or not, whether they knew it yet or not, he could see it from a mile away. Maybe their mind-bond wasn't very strong, but they were certainly forming a bond of some kind, and that one was going to be much stronger than anything superimposed could be.

Her voice was very small when she suddenly said, "The… torture…"

He sighed, suddenly weary, feeling like _he_ was the scum of the earth after all.

"With your history, what your parents went through... They needed to know what would make you go to such an extreme that you'd actually go against them and help him escape so that we could get you two together, lull him into thinking he can trust you, confide in you."

"You used my parents to…"

"I'm sorry.

She jolted up suddenly, staring daggers at him that hurt almost as much as the real thing. Then her lips formed a thin line as she quite obviously tried to rein in her anger before walking past him, and away, toward the door. He got up and made to follow her, but he felt Enzo's hard grip on his arm, met the other's dark eyes, and stopped in his tracks.

They stared at each other for a long time, neither of them saying a word. They heard the door being opened and falling shut with a loud bang, and even then, they still just stood there, gauging each other.

Then, finally, Enzo let go and walked down the aisle after Bonnie, shaking his head, leaving Damon alone.

"Don't follow her," he said, just that, and Damon didn't. He couldn't. He couldn't even move.

 _What have you done_?!


	8. The pond

_Special thanks today to deenew and Jade: you are so sweet. Thanks so much! I feel like we are all in this together, keeping Benzo / Bonenzo alive, and every review, good and bad, every story helps getting us more attention and maybe get others to "jump aboard our ship," so to speak._

 _..._

 _Now, this chapter will probably be a bit "transitional," though it is also at the heart of the story._

* * *

...

It was a crisp cold day, but the sky was finally showing a smidgen of blue again and the promise of spring could almost be felt.

Almost.

Bonnie kicked against a hard pile of snow, cold crystals flying left and right, the light wind sending them up into her flushed face. She was so angry, so hurt that she couldn't think properly.

Damon had betrayed her. Of all people, it had been he who had orchestrated everything she'd gone through since becoming linked to Enzo.

Everything had been a lie. He had lied to her face.

She had been so grateful when he'd gone back out to go save Enzo from the cold, to save her, only to learn that it could have all been prevented.

 _You don't know that, love._

She whirled around and saw Enzo standing not far from her. He was only wearing Damon's stupid uniform jacket, and she couldn't help worrying about him like a mother hen.

"Geez, what are you even doing out here?" She walked over to him, pulling the jacket closed for him, only noticing what she was doing when he smiled down on her. "You really need a thicker jacket," she mumbled self consciously, then looked up to him, suddenly lost for words.

He had such a handsome face. Long dark lashes, dark eyes - maybe with a tinge of green? - his pale skin a stark contrast to the almost black of his hair. She felt herself drawn to him more and more, she couldn't deny it. She had wanted to distance herself from him as much as possible with their bond, but even that wish was slowly fading away. She didn't care anymore who he was, who she was. A Golden and a Silveren...

Now he was the only one that still seemed true to himself. Who hadn't pretended to be someone else in front of her.

"Just wanted to make sure you're okay." He touched her cheek, ever so lightly, his hand strangely cool against her heated skin. "I'm sorry. I didn't want to be right." He gave a small unhappy chuckle. "I didn't think it would go this far back…"

His hand was still on her face, the touch calming her, grounding her. And why? She gave a shudder, then raised her arm and put a hand over his, with the intention to move his away. But she didn't.

"I feel like it's all my fault. What they did to you…"

"I'm an enemy soldier, love. They would have probably done it anyway."

She frowned at him, unhappy. Unconvinced. They didn't know what could have happened, whether anything would have gone differently. But she wanted to believe it could have gone better.

"Hate to bring this up, but…"

"I know. We can't stay here," she finished his sentence, and he nodded briefly, finally taking his hand away again and shoving it into his pocket. She had to smile; he was so obviously too cold.

"Let's get you back inside," she suggested, "before you freeze. How have your people even managed to survive out here during winter time?" She shook her head, then nodded for him to follow her.

For a moment she pictured herself intertwining her arm with his, walking back together like that. But she caught herself and put a stop to it. He was still the enemy.

Or maybe he wasn't, after all. Maybe he was the one person who was on her side. They were a team.

* * *

…

 _Why_?

Damon licked his lip, unsure of what to say, what to convey to her.

 _She's our friend. She deserved the truth._

He sat under the one blanket he had kept for himself, huddled up, just waiting. He stared at the rays of colored light that fell on the ground, looked over to the altar, where they had last sat together.

 _Maxwell said you can still make it right. Follow their tracks, find them for us._

Damon sighed. He closed his eyes. They had said goodbye earlier that morning, after another night spent all together under the roof of the old church.

He could still see Bonnie's face. She hadn't forgiven him. She had been so… disappointed. Damon hadn't felt that bad since he'd destroyed his mother's old china set following a drunken binge as a teenager.

 _You_ should _feel bad now. You ruined everything. Do you seriously think they're better off knowing? They'll be hunted down now, Damon. I was trying to protect Bonnie from that. But you…_

 _Were you?_ He asked, a rest of fight stirring in him. _Because, frankly, it seemed more like you were trying to get rid of her. Is it because of me? Because I like her?_

He could hear her scoff. He knew the face she was probably making, and he half smiled at the thought. _I love you more, Elena, I always have._

 _Really? Because it didn't feel like that the last few weeks._

 _Let's not fight. Please. I… I want to know whether there's a way for us to come back from this._

 _You can-_

 _One that doesn't involve them, Lena. They're gone, I don't know where to. I'm not gonna go after them. And if anyone does, I'll try my best to keep them safe._

 _Then there's nothing you can do. Stay alive, I guess. I don't want to die…_

He pressed his lips together. He didn't want to think. _How is this gonna work now? Will you tell them where to find me?_

 _I have to, Damon._

 _What will they do? Lock me up? Try to brainwash me?_

 _You know how it goes. They can't waste a perfectly functioning bond._

He nodded. He knew. They had ways. He'd just never thought it'd happen to him.

 _I do love you._

 _I know. I love you, too. Even if I can't agree with what you did._

Maybe it would be the last time he actively told her so, the last time he actively could.

Maybe this was one of the last days he spent as Damon Salvatore, before they'd flip the switch on him, turn him into a different version of himself.

 _I'm sorry, Damon._

 _I'm not…_

* * *

…

Damon had stood right in front of Bonnie, blankets in his arms. He had persuaded them to stay one more night, making a good case when he'd brought up how the temperatures dropped at night around those parts and how Enzo was still not in the greatest shape. The man had wanted to leave right then. He had walked away from Damon with a jerk of his head, indicating that he was going to wait for Bonnie by the door.

"Bonnie. I'm… I know you're mad. I know you don't trust me. But one day isn't gonna make much of a difference-"

"It's a whole lot of difference now that I know they know where to look for us. I bet Elena already informed them that you told us and now they're on their way to capture us to save their stupid mission."

"They couldn't if they wanted to. They're still too far out."

"The post is not that far away," she had reminded him, but he'd shaken his head.

"There were never all that many people there - the few that were… they went on their way to their homebase as soon as we had left." He had looked at her with a sad smile. "The whole shed thing? All those horses? They were always part of the show. I'm sorry…"

"Why, Damon?" Bonnie had challenged in a sudden non-sequitur, eyes ablaze with a fire he hadn't seen in there for a very long time. It had probably died around the same time her parents had.

He had sighed, thinking about his next words first, thinking about his true intentions. Had he been lying to himself?

"Because I wanted to give you an out."

"An out?" She had looked at him, incredulous, but also confused. He had nodded, an ache spreading inside of him that he'd tried to shut out for the longest time. It had festered, though, over the years. It had gotten harder to keep it under control, keep it hidden from himself, from _her_.

"The bonds, they're… all encompassing. Intense. I haven't said it out loud before, I haven't even dared thinking it, but…"

Could he tell her? Should he? Yes, he decided, because who else if not her. It wouldn't matter much anymore all too soon. He owed her honesty. She deserved so much more.

"I hate it."

She looked taken aback, but he went on. He had to get it all out now, or he never would. "I hate it with a passion. The lack of privacy, how every little thing in your mind, all those involuntary thoughts, can end up being transferred over to your partner. How they can read you inside out, know every last secret. I hate what it has done to my relationship with Elena," he scoffed, "we were so happy. She really was the one. I wanted to share everything with her, but when I finally had to, it wasn't all that great after all. Suddenly she knew about all my moments of self hatred, my true feelings about her stupid cat she had at the time we were first together." He had noticed Bonnie give an involuntary chuckle.

"I hated her too," she'd whispered. And for the briefest of moments, they had smiled at each other, conspiratorially almost. Then Bonnie's expression had hardened again, and he'd continued with another sigh.

"She knew I had been putting on a show a couple of times, being romantic just for her sake; she was upset. Understandably so. And I hated that too. - Can you even imagine what it's like when the person you love even knows about all the times you've doubted them? Or your feelings for them? For others? Even if you'd never act on them? I didn't want you to have to go through that. That day at the pond…" He had paused briefly, seeing it again, the hard rain, Bonnie's concentrated face.

 _Was this when it started? Or even before?_ Elena had interjected, but he had ignored her. She could feel it anyways. No need for her to ask…

"The Pond of No Return. I always just took it to be a random play on words. You know, the Silveren getting drowned in there, never to return to harass us?" He had shaken his head. "But that day… for the first time I truly understood its meaning, Bon. Because there is no coming back from this, for all of us. Once you're there, you can only go forward. That's why they have us go there for the bonding trials… The change happening there, if it does happen, is irreversible. - But when you ended up with that botched link, I suddenly had hope again. For you. If I could help you get all the information, all use out of your partner, maybe I could persuade our people to just lock him away somewhere, for good. You wouldn't have had to worry about anything. You could have just locked him out of your thoughts. You could have been free. Still alone in your head."

He had given an entire soliloquy, and Bonnie had just waited and stared at him. When he'd finished, she had still been upset with him, but he could tell that there had also been understanding.

It would have to suffice, he thought. It would be all he'd get.

* * *

…

When she woke up, it was starting to dawn outside, and she forced herself to push the warm blankets aside and get up. She made her way over to the small bathroom one last time, wondering how long it would be before she'd have amenities like that again. She hurried up. She didn't want to lose any more precious time.

Once she was done, not quite happy with the outcome, because she felt like her clothes were starting to smell and there was nothing she could do about that now, she walked over to where Enzo still lay sleeping.

She watched him for a moment, his face unusually peaceful, and she regretted having to disturb his sleep. But she had to.

"It's time," she whispered, lightly touching his arm, "We gotta go."

He looked up to her, startled, but instantly alert, and he was up quickly, helping her get ready.

"You'll want these." Damon suddenly appeared from where she'd just seen him still sleep, and he was carrying a heap of the blankets, and a bag back. "There's some water in there. Some crackers. Not much, but better than nothing."

"What about you?" She asked, reluctantly taking the things from him, growing sad again. She didn't want to leave him behind. She was still mad at him, yet she'd also already started to forgive him. He'd done all this for her. He'd messed up, yes, but his intentions had been good.

"I'll be fine. Someone will come for me soon, anyways." He smirked at her. "Ready for reprogramming."

She grimaced. In Preparation, they'd told them about that part as well. How, if things didn't work out, if a partner somehow got turned by the enemy or couldn't handle the bond, they'd go through reprogramming to save the link relationship. It didn't happen very often, and it had become somewhat of a myth almost. But now, Damon would soon find out how much of it was true, how much of it really worked.

"This is goodbye then, Bonnie. If we ever meet again, and I almost hope we won't, I'll be someone else. The updated Damon." He grinned, then suddenly leaned forward and hugged her, and she found herself leaning into him, clasping her arms around him for the longest shortest time, and then he let go, and the moment was over.

"Be safe out there, Bon Bon."

"You too, Damon Salvatore…"

Then she turned around, tears welling in her eyes, and she wiped across them with her arms before making her way out to the horses, where Enzo was already waiting for her.

She still couldn't believe they were doing this together, fleeing. Without Damon. Just she and that Silveren stranger. What were they even going to do? Where could they go in this wide world? Could she trust him? The enemy? The Eternal? Could he trust her? The Golden that had broken into his head?

And would they survive?

* * *

...

 _So, I'll have to study a bit for my (written) driving test, but if anyone just can't wait for some actual Benzo action, I'll try and get it up in between. (It'll probably contain some M-rated stuff, just a warning...)_


	9. Shudder

_You guys are awesome! Thanks deenew, Jade, jannay, and kpmindc! Just a short shout out today because I'm a little pressed for time (but I needed a break from the stupid mock tests, so here I am. lol)_

* * *

...

The world was wide open, covered in snow, cold. But it was sunny, and she was still free. She took a deep breath, then mounted her horse and trotted off, following Enzo.

They didn't have much of a plan. Don't get caught. That was it. Enzo had gotten rid of Damon's jacket, because they couldn't risk anyone finding them in military clothes. They'd have to find him another one, soon. They'd have to find her some new clothes, too.

They needed a place to stay for a few days. To recuperate. To come up with a way to better hide the glaring truth Enzo's arm too easily revealed.

They'd have to stay under the radar.

They'd have to trust each other.

…

The horses were growing tired. The days were still short, and Bonnie could see the sun slowly descending behind the hills on the horizon. They'd need to find shelter, soon.

 _Enzo_. She reached out with her mind. Talking was too much effort, and she didn't want to make more noise than necessary, either. They couldn't know whether there wasn't someone hiding in the forests and bushes around them.

 _We need a break. The horses are done._

 _I know. There should be an old village coming up, if I'm not mistaken._

She frowned in surprise. _So you've been in the area?_

 _I got captured right around these parts…_

 _Why were you here, anyways? So far up north?_

 _I can't say._

She scoffed into the blanket she had wrapped around herself. Really? Was he being serious?

 _Can't? Or won't?_

There was nothing for a long time. She felt his barriers harden, felt the steady flow of pain coming from his side dull down even more, and admittedly, it was a welcome relief.

 _Fine, keep it to yourself, then. But if that village doesn't show up in the next few minutes, I'll just flop down on the ground and stay here._

She saw him turn his head in her direction, a smile on his face. "It's just over that hill, love. I'm almost certain."

"Famous last words," she mumbled, and trotted on regardless.

Thankfully, his memory really was quite accurate, and they soon found themselves facing a small accumulation of little houses, and what looked to be an actual road. The place looked deserted.

Enzo stopped his horse and slowly got off. Bonnie noticed how slow his movements were and she couldn't help but wonder whether the cold had gotten to him, or whether it was something else.

"You alright?" she asked, and he stared at her, a bit too vacantly for her liking.

"There shouldn't be anyone here. Place has been fought over too much. Strategic position on top of the hills, between the Golden and Silveren territories…"

"Was that your assignment? Bringing it into the fold?"

He ignored her and made his way down the road, guiding his horse as he went. With a sigh, she followed him, the clop clop of her horse's hooves strangely foreboding. What if Enzo was wrong? What if there were people still living here? Whose side would they be on?

She shuddered.

The cold was getting to her, too. And she was hungry.

Bonnie was just about to protest again, to threaten she'd sit down right where she stood, when she spotted a small sign on one of the closer buildings, marking it as a department store. Jackpot, she thought. Hopefully, there'd still be things to get in there.

She tapped Enzo's arm, and he flinched so hard she startled. "I'm… sorry," she muttered, heat creeping into her cheeks as she realized it had been his weapon-arm. He pulled back from her slightly, but tried to smile when she said, "I hurt you again."

He shook his head, "No, I just-"

But she could feel how his barriers had weakened again because the pain behind them had increased.

She gave him a pointed look and he averted his head, smile fading. She bit her lip, growing more concerned.

"Anyways," she forced herself to say, "there's a store. I'm thinking we should maybe just go in and check for supplies. Clothes…"

"We should find a place to stay first. We can go out later."

"You need a jacket. I'm really smelly… and they might have food left. Cans… crackers. I don't know about you, but me and the horses, we are hungry."

She raised her chin, then simply walked past him, in the direction of the building she had pointed out. She didn't look back, but she didn't need to. It only took a few minutes before she could hear an echo of more hooves on the ground, and she smiled to herself, relieved that he was following her.

The doors were still intact. The village couldn't have been deserted for all that long, she figured. The aisles inside looked almost pristine from where she peeked in through the windows, and she hoped it was a good sign. That they'd find some treasures.

But first… She picked up a big rock and threw it through the glass, making Enzo glare at her. "The hell was that for?"

"We need to get in. It was locked. The doors are glass, so I-"

"There's easier ways. Less loud, too…"

She pressed her lips together, unhappy with his tone. He was lecturing her.

He was in a mood. (He was also right, and she didn't want to admit that...)

"Are you okay?" she asked when they had bound their horses outside and were wading over the shards of glass into the dark of the store, but he wasn't answering.

"Enzo?"

He had shaken off the blanket and was now walking deeper down the aisles, and she decided to just leave him be for a bit and look for the clothes section first. Maybe find some deodorant, toothpaste, toiletries, too. And the restrooms.

She perused the aisles, delighted to find lots of things they could use and yes, that included shower gel and toilet paper, and a nice new wardrobe full of clothes.

It was at least two hours later when she finally found him again, sitting leaning against a shelf in the food section, and she did a little playful pirouette showing off her new outfit and, she hoped, her nicely cleaned up self.

He did give her a lopsided smile, but that was all, no compliment, no cocky remarks, nothing.

She laid some clothes down next to him, sitting down beside him. "Got some for you too. There's a nice warm jacket - and some really amazing woolen socks. I got a pair for myself, she pulled up the leg of her pants a little to show them off, and caught him glancing down briefly, without taking his head off the shelf it rested on.

"You're exhausted," she said quietly. "Come on." She stood back up, tugging at his arm - carefully choosing the right one this time. "Let's get you cleaned up too. There's a decent sized restroom over there. Water is still running," she winked. "Will you need help?"

He gave her a look, licking his too dry, too pale lips as he did. But then he rolled his eyes and pushed himself up slowly. "I got it, but thanks." He smirked, adding, "Unless this was meant as a subtle come on…"

It was her turn to roll her eyes, but she had to smile a little. And she was glad there was still life in him.

She showed him the way, then gave him privacy, walking through the dresses section while she was waiting. She doubted she'd ever need a dress again, with a life on the run. The thought made her heart heavy. The things she'd have to give up. There was probably a lot that hadn't even occurred to her yet.

And what for? Was she going to spend the rest of her life with Lorenzo St. John? Never settling anywhere, never finding love again, never having kids, never… having peace of heart?

She closed her eyes, her fingers still tracing the little pearls sewn onto a little black a-line dress. If only she could wear that, just once.

"We might have a problem."

She jolted out of her thoughts, opening her eyes to Enzo standing further up the aisle, watching her.

She swallowed, suddenly very self-conscious. "What?" she asked, her tongue heavy in her mouth.

He was wearing the pants she'd picked out for him, he'd shaved again, he'd washed his hair, and he wasn't wearing a shirt. She couldn't help but stare at his torso, trying to at least mask it as best as she could.

"My eyes are up here," he joked, and she felt hot and embarrassed when she looked up to meet his gaze. He was smiling.

"I wasn't… I," she stammered, giving up when she saw that his expression had already changed into a more regretful one. "Just giving you a hard time, love. Don't mind me. I'm just stupidly trying to deflect from... this, I guess." He sighed, then held out his arm slightly. She didn't know what she was looking at when she saw it…

Her eyes widened. She touched her mouth, then slowly walked over to him.

He grimaced when she stretched her own arm out, her fingers moving to touch him.

The bandage was not in very good condition at all. She remembered it now, how she'd made do with it before, wrapping it in a way that had stretched the material more than she would have liked so that she could wrap it around his entire lower arm.

But that wasn't all. There was a strange sheen poking through it, brighter than before, when she'd seen the blazing scar. It was almost like his arm was all ablaze now. And it was spreading to his upper arm.

She saw him unwind the material of the bandage a bit to let her see, an upset expression on his face that made her heart ache. She swiftly brought her hand up to his to gently still his movements and shook her head no.

She heard his breath come out as a shudder when she touched him, and she held her hand there, over his, for a long moment, looking up into his eyes.

She could read fear in them, dark and growing, and she half wished they'd have been as shuttered as usual, because she didn't know what to do with hat.

"What's happening?" she whispered, as he finally pulled away, walking backward a few steps.

"It's… what happens when we're without a weapon for too long. Or without a proper bandage."

She raised her eyebrows, frowning. "Does this happen often? Can it get worse? Can we stop it if we get you a new bandage, or," she didn't even want to think it, "access to a weapon?"

"I'm not sure."

Her face fell. "You're not sure?"

"There haven't been many... cases. Mostly just old written accounts of it happening. And in those cases…" He trailed off, but she could see it in his face, read it in his mind. They had died. A horrible, painful death. Slow, gruesome. Lives full of too much pain, usually ended by suicide or mercy killing.

She swallowed down a sob that wanted to break out of her.

Death. He had wanted to die before, when the pain had been so bad he couldn't really think anymore. Now he had her to think of, and suddenly death didn't seem like an option anymore.

"I'm sorry," he suddenly muttered, looking away.

She placed a hand on his chest, an impulse, and suddenly, she was acutely aware of his half-nakedness again, of the red scar next to her outspread fingers. She worried her lip, flustered and confused, then forced herself to concentrate. "It's not your fault," she whispered, "We'll find a way. Maybe we can find one of your people that knows more about this."

"I don't want to endanger you-"

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Well, can't get worse than death by association, can it?" She said, smiling mildly, but regretted her words instantly when to her dismay she saw tears in his eyes before he turned around to leave.

"Enzo," she called out, throat constricting, and she quickly came after him, because she couldn't let him go like that. "Enzo… I'm sorry, I… we will find a way, okay? We will get through this, too."

She fell silent as he went into the restroom stall where she saw him pick up the long sleeve shirt she'd found for him earlier. She watched as he moved to put it on, seeing the scars on his body, some old and faded, some still raw looking. Fresh. When he turned around as if he'd felt her gaze hot on his back, she saw the mark right above his heart, the one she had almost touched earlier, and her legs began moving as of their own accord as she walked closer to him.

She extended an arm, a hand, a finger grazing his skin. He was just watching her now, alert, wary, but he let his arms fall down again, the shirt still in his hands…

"That was you," she realized, not sure whether he had somehow relayed that information or not. She shuddered when he took her hand in his, holding it there.

"We will find a way. We'll start with a bandage. I'm sure you'll know where to get a new one, right?" She looked at him, hopeful, and he nodded, though still so sad.

His heart was beating faster now. So fast…

"I just don't know what this is," he breathed, "I'm…" _fucking scared…_

He looked down, his jaw clenching and unclenching, like he was fighting an internal battle. He wasn't looking at her at all, but she was looking at him, mouth slightly open, and she gently cupped his chin, lifting herself up to her tiptoes.

And she kissed him, retreating quickly, gasping when she realized what she had done.

She was falling for him, she really was. It was jarring, it was raw, it was real. The Golden was falling in love with the Silveren.

She wiped her mouth, half shocked, but mostly just…

Before she could think her thought to the end, he suddenly pulled her closer, with a hand in her hair, and kissed her again, deep, long, passionate.

When he let go again, it was only to hoist her up and walk her out of the restroom and back into the dimness of the store's clothes department. She had straddled him, her legs on either side of him, her mouth on his, her tongue dancing with his, and together, they managed to somehow sink onto the floor.

He was about to push himself up on both arms and over her, his lips already wandering down from her mouth to the crook of her neck and her clavicle, but in a moment of sudden clarity, she remembered his arm, or maybe she felt a bit of his pain, and she tugged at him till he locked gazes with her, halting his movements.

"Let me," she breathed, and she sat back up, pulling her pants down a little awkwardly as she went, and came to sit on his lap, busying herself with his buttons as she began kissing him again.

Part of her still couldn't believe what she was doing, that she was doing it, while the other was already in the throes of it, taking his cock out and guiding it into where she was tingling and wanting, wet-hot from anticipation.

They didn't speak at all, they communicated only with their eyes, no thoughts, though she could feel his desire, and it made her feel a thousand times better than the princess she'd wanted to be as a child. This... was arousing. She _needed_ him.

She fucked him, sitting up, carefully, slowly, grinding into him with the need and desire of a love starved woman, and he answered it in turn, pushing a hand in between where they met, touching her there, so softly at first that she shivered. As she picked up speed, so did he, and she felt herself come as his finger circled her, teasing, teasing, till she pushed her own hand down too, looking him straight in the eyes, back arched, and she placed his finger right on top of her clit, still watching him, the wonder in his eyes, the passion, pleasure, and then she came with a shudder as he touched her there, pressing down lightly, stroking, stroking... She moaned deeply, throwing her head back till she felt her hair on her naked back, baring her breasts to him, her neck, and she could feel him come shortly after, burying his head against her chest as he did, and she loved the feeling of his pulsing cock deep inside of her, welcomed it, grinding into him once more to feel it all.

…

When they both finally collapsed, spent, and with a sheen of sweat covering their bodies, she came to lie right by his side, her forehead against his, closing her eyes, and he wrapped an arm around her, when she whispered, "We'll be okay."

And she really wanted to believe that when she heard him take a heaving breath, so full of fear and pain and something more. She wanted them, she wanted _him_ to be okay.

She wiggled closer to him, not even caring that they were both still half undressed, and wrapped her arms around him, too.

And like that, they eventually fell asleep.


	10. Dogs

_Phew. Passed the (touchscreen) driving test and got my learner's permit, you guys! Now I'll have to get some practice in before doing the actual behind-the-wheel test. Now that scares me. lol_

 _Anyways._

 _Thanks so much for all the kind reviews and for sticking with this for a little while longer. Since I don't want to let you guys wait for too long, I'll post this now. It's a little less thoroughly edited, so if you find any glaring mistakes - or even just normal mistakes - let me know and I'll fix it._

 _Juno: lol. Right? I felt like it was high time... :)_

 _Anyone ready for more?_

* * *

...

"Damon."

The voice sounded so close, yet he was far away, and unwilling to emerge.

"Damon."

They had found him soon after Bonnie and her partner had left on their track into the unknown. He had been sitting in one of the pews, munching on a bird he'd managed to kill earlier that day, the chewing being tough and tedious. He'd already been so over this meat based diet that part of him had almost been relieved they'd gotten to him so fast.

At some point before that, he had briefly wondered whether he should try and run, too. But there was no place for him to hide, nothing to be gained. He wasn't free in his head anyways, fleeing wouldn't have changed that.

So he had waited patiently.

"Come one Damon."

It wasn't Elena. Slowly, he let his eyelids flutter open and blinked a couple of times until his vision cleared enough to see

"Stefan?"

The man in front of him, sitting on a small stool, smiled at him sadly.

"Brother…"

Damon moved to get up, slowly, and they hugged each other, just a moment. It was so good to feel him near, to be able to touch his younger brother after so much time had passed. He hadn't seen him in the last three years, ever since Stefan had left on some random press related trip, proclaiming to everyone who would listen that the war was wrong and there was another truth out there.

Damon had urged him to keep quiet. He hadn't wanted Stefan to get in trouble with the military, with command. But the younger one had refused.

Until the day Damon had come to the Pond of No Return for his tryouts and had come back from there with an established link.

"It's fucked up, Damon," he'd said. "It's sick. What they make you do. Just look at Elena. And there's many more out there that don't have a choice but to be forced into a link."

"She is thrilled about it!" he'd exclaimed, angry then with Stefan, but his brother had shaken his head sadly. He had known.

"Neither of you had a choice in the matter. But having someone force their thoughts on you? And then being forced to join the military? She wanted to be a doctor, Damon."

"She can still become one! The military-"

"Exactly. The military," Stefan had interjected, rolling his eyes and pressing his mouth together in frustration. "They control everything. People need doctors that are on neither side. Have you noticed how almost all the important positions these days get filled by people in the military? And almost every hospital, every administrative bureau has a link-partner working for them."

"Stefan…"

They had both sighed. Stefan had ruffled his hair absently, then looked directly at his older brother.

"I'm not here to argue. I know you don't see it, Damon. I'm… just here to say goodbye I guess."

"You're leaving." It hadn't been a question. He'd always seen in coming.

"With a group of friends. We are headed to a settlement of neutrals. They are building a news central there. And I want to be a part of that."

And he'd done it. He'd left. Damon had thought he'd never see him again. He'd been worried Elena would tattle in him, on them, and Stefan would get caught and put under arrest. But she hadn't.

Their bond had still been new, their love stronger than any military influence could be. But even back then he had already started to doubt.

"Are you really here?" He was now asking, and both of them chuckled. It wasn't a very happy sound.

"I am."

"I guess that means I'm fucked."

"You really are, brother, you really are."

"When?"

Stefan sighed. He knew what Damon meant, of course… The reprogramming, the reason he was here. So that he could see his brother one last time before Damon might not recognize him anymore. He gave his brother a long look, his mouth working as he tried to make himself say it. "Tomorrow."

Damon's eyes flickered as he inhaled sharply. "And they let you visit?" he asked.

Stefan smiled. "Elena contacted me, actually."

That was a surprise. _I still love you. Even if we don't agree anymore…_ she piped up somewhere in the back of his mind, and he sent her his heartfelt gratitude.

"So this is goodbye again then, huh?"

Stefan nodded, and Damon felt his heart grow heavy, a lump in his throat.

"I'm proud of you, brother."

"Proud?" Damon grinned incredulously.

"You stood up for Bonnie. In the end, you chose the right side. That takes more guts than I ever had."

Damon's grin grew wistful. He shook his head. "No. You've always been the stronger one. Fighting for the right side since day one. I… had to slowly open my eyes and see… But you, you _knew._ I'm sorry this has to be goodbye, Stef. I wish I could come to your settlement with you, inform the masses about how fucked up both factions in the war really are. And how much beauty they're missing out on."

"I'll tell your story," Stefan suddenly whispered, leaning in, giving Damon another hug. Then, louder, he said. "I gotta go, brother. I'm sorry."

Damon nodded, waving without enthusiasm. "Love you, brother."

"I love you, too. I always will, Damon."

"I'll probably come back as a heartless empty shell, though, standing only for the cause you're fighting so hard."

They both sighed, then Stefan nodded. "You'll always be my brother. I know you'll still find it in you, the things you truly believe in. When it'll come down to it, you'll know."

With that he left, leaving Damon alone, shackled by his feet to the bed he was laying on, alone, already empty. He hoped Stefan was right, but he doubted it.

Tabula rasa. He'd be a clean slate, a wild card. Would he really know it deep down, what he'd believed in? Friends above military? The war being wrong?

Probably not...

But at least Stefan was free.

And Bonnie.

There was still hope, even though the world would go on without Damon Salvatore as he now was.

* * *

…

Cold had crept into their bones where they lay on the floor, but they were still sleeping. Enzo's body was starting to send out a warning, forcing him awake. But he fought the feeling, he was so exhausted. He wanted to escape the world out there for a little while longer.

And then he saw the images again. Foreign, rough. Horrifying.

It was Bonnie; she was dreaming that dream again. He saw her younger self hiding again. Blood dripping from her hand where she'd bitten herself. This time, he also saw them hit the woman that must have been her mom. Over and over, she was laying on the ground, arms outstretched, begging for them to stop, but they went on. Until her head was mush, teeth breaking off. Until she was quiet.

They'd killed her husband before, or, the Eternal had, a garish happy grin on his face as he lashed at the man not once, but multiple times, leaving a handful of gleaming oozing wounds on the man's body.

And he knew. He knew what that felt like. How every cut with the weapon sent an involuntary surge of endorphins, of serotonin through your brain, making you the perfect killing machine. Because only when you hurt others, did the pain leave completely, did you finally feel yourself again.

The weapon came at a huge cost. It made you its bitch. Some Eternals lived for the kill, loving every bit of it, like it was a sick game.

The Eternal in Bonnie's dream - Bonnie's memory - was one of those, except, when he looked again, the man suddenly had his face, and as he looked at it in horror, Bonnie started screaming in the real world and he told her to _wake up!_

…

She came to, shaking and crying, and completely out of it. The dream…

"You're alright, love, it was just a nightmare…"

His voice was calm and soothing, low. He had his arms around her, her head had come to rest on his chest and he was holding her there, just holding her, and despite the fact that she had just seen his face in her dream in such a gruesome distortion of the truth, she felt safe with him.

She was safe.

"It's over now…"

She was sobbing. A hand against her mouth, she was suddenly self conscious and worried she'd get spit all over him, but he didn't seem to notice or care. All she could feel was his firm hand against her head, and his slow heartbeat in her ear.

And eventually, she was calm enough again to slowly disentangle herself from him and she slowly got up to get dressed.

"I'm sorry," she muttered, wiping her eyes and trying to smile, but he still looked at her concerned when he pushed himself up on his arms, grimacing a little as he did. She looked at him, his face, his eyes, and suddenly she knew that he had seen it. Again.

Her dream.

"I'm sorry, I didn't," she stammered, unsure of what to say or how best to word it. How did you explain your dreams to someone? This was exactly what she'd never wanted to have to do. What she had feared. "I don't actually see you like… that. It's… a memory, actually. The Eternal…"

"I know," he allowed as her own voice trailed off. She watched him stand up slowly, noticed that he was shivering in the relative cold, and she realized that she, too, was cold now that she wasn't lying pressed against him anymore.

Bodyheat really was a great way to keep warm…

With jittery movements, she started looking for the rest of his and her clothes, and shily handed him his shirt when she found it by her things. He gave her a blank look that made her feel like she had to explain, "You're cold."

Suddenly, he smirked, taking the shirt and putting it on quickly. She stared at his arms as he did, the muscles moving, the sheen on his left side, and she shook her head to make herself stop before he'd notice.

But she was too late, and she saw him retreat internally, it was a flicker in his eyes, a darkness, before he looked away, and she felt the need to take his hand, touch his cheek.

"Look at me," she said. "Please."

When he did, she smiled up at him warmly, a foreign boldness taking over, as she told him, "I don't see you like that."

"It's what I am, Bonnie. I'm sorry my people did that to your parents, to you. I'm so sorry for what you had to endure because of someone like me. How could you ever _not_ see that when looking at me. I'll be your constant reminder-"

"Stop!" she said a little too harshly and he pulled away yet again, grimacing. Softer, she added, "Please." Geez, she smiled to herself, he really was incredibly vulnerable. That was certainly new to her. "I don't need a constant reminder. It's all in here already," she tapped her temple, seeing him clench his jaw as she did. "You have shown me that the Silveren are people, too. You've reminded me of _that_. It's only been a few weeks, but when we first… connected, I thought this was the worst that could have happened. I thought my life was completely over. But then… I don't know, you slowly stole your way into my heart…"

She bit her lip, worried that she'd regret having been so open about it. She wasn't even sure why she'd told him that point blank. She barely knew him. He was still a stranger, still an enemy soldier.

But her heart had made a decision for her and there was no going back.

She heard him breathe, saw brightness in his eyes again, though it was probably just a trick of the light.

"I think I may be falling in love with you, Bonnie Bennett," he quietly rasped, his hand in her hair now, playing with a strand before swiping it to the side. She took another step toward him, holding onto his chest, pulling herself up to her tiptoes, and kissed his cold lips. She pushed herself against him, wanted to feel him once more, and all words, all thoughts were put on hold once more as she fumbled with his pants, wanting more, wanting him, when suddenly, they heard a loud clatter and they stopped what they were doing, alert and wary, listening into the quiet of the tall building.

She stared at him, wide eyed and worried, as he gave her a sign to stay put, making his way toward the other end of their aisle, poking his head out briefly, then hiding pressed against the shelf, motioning for her to stay completely still.

Bonnie's heart was beating too fast, she felt a panic approach. After all these years, she still had trouble dealing with situations that seemed even the slightest bit too similar to that day her parents had died, too unpredictable, too scary.

She was breathing too fast. She couldn't think anymore. Were they really already here? Had they really caught them this quickly?

What would happen now?

She kept her eyes trained on Enzo who was holding her gaze as if trying to calm her over the distance. _Dogs_ , he informed her, _a pack of them. I freaking hate those things._

She watched as he crept toward her, inch by inch, almost in slow motion, while she tried to get her breathing under control. Dogs… she had heard about that. How cities got deserted because of the war - just like this one - and how the pets were left behind; how some of them formed packs, growing wild again, sometimes, when food was scarce, desperate and rabid. Dangerous.

But at least no people. They hadn't been found by either faction.

Enzo got to her finally, putting an arm in front of her as she tried to move. He put a finger to his lips, motioning for her to stay quiet.

 _You okay?_

 _I thought we had been found. I freaked out for a moment._

 _These beasts are a freaking pest. Honestly, I'd have preferred people._

She raised an eyebrow at his words, her rate of breathing involuntarily picking up again. If he was freaked out, so was she. Bonnie closed her eyes.

 _Didn't mean to scare you._ He gave her a concerned look, then gently touched her cheek when she wouldn't look at him. She forced herself to return the gaze and knew she was an open book, that he could see right through to her core.

She was not meant for a life on the run, she was not meant for escaping and hiding and wild animals. She had no formal training of any sort.

Unless you counted basic nurse training that she had only half heartedly gotten into because of Elena persuading her it would be a decent job to have.

 _You stay here. I'll try to get them to leave. They've already picked up our scent._

She gave him a panicked look and quickly grabbed his arm.

 _Listen to me, Bonnie. It's going to be okay. I'll lead them away from you. From here. I'll be right back._

He gave her one last imploring look, waiting until she had nodded at him, then he broke into a sprint and was out of her sight before she could even think another coherent thought. She tried to blend into her surroundings, holding onto the shelf behind her for support, and waited with bated breath for any noise, any sign of him.

At first, there was only the sound of his steps and a low growling. Sniffing. She felt her heart in her throat when the animal noises grew nearer. The panic was coming back.

What if they found her before Enzo got to them. What was he even going to do? What if they bit her, tore her apart? Too much imagination, too much fear. She felt herself crumple, fought hard to keep herself from sobbing, and failed. Then suddenly, she saw the head of one of the dogs poke around the corner and saw him stare straight at her, amber eyes gleaming dangerously. He growled, showing long teeth, then he suddenly ran…

…

She wasn't entirely sure what happened next. It all went so fast. She was sure the beast would get her, for a second she thought it had already bitten her, but then she saw Enzo coming from out of nowhere, yelling something, just racing toward them, the dog and her, and the animal turned its attention to him, away from her.

His mates soon followed, suddenly appearing from everywhere. She heard - or felt - Enzo say something, but she couldn't comprehend a word. Everything was whirling around her. The dogs, Enzo, her thoughts. They're just stupid dogs, she thought, incredulously.

She was watching as if she wasn't involved, as if this was a movie and not her life.

And she realized with sudden clarity that until that moment, she hadn't seen Enzo fight, hadn't seen him be what he was: a soldier. A formidable one.

Even without his Eternal Weapon...

He held something in his hands, shiny, like a pipe, and he was fighting the dogs off with it, whirling around as he did, with lithe movements, like a cat, while she was shrinking into the shelf more and more, in a mixture of fascination and horror.

Then, finally, it all was over, the tumult abruptly died down, the last dogs fleeing, and except for hers and Enzo's labored breathing and a dying dog's yowling whelps, the building returned to its previous quietness, almost eerily so.

Bonnie shot a glance in his direction. He was leaning against the shelf, right next to her, still holding a large pipe from a clothing rack he'd just used to - what? Get the dogs away from her. Beat them, kill them. The unlucky ones lay in the aisle with them, dead and broken, and she shot a glance at them, too, almost feeling sorry for them for a moment.

"You okay, love?" He was staring at her, eyes wide, a strange worry in his features, and she nodded slowly. "Guess I should apologize. Didn't quite go as I had hoped," he admitted, "They got way too close to you. I really need to step up my game." He looked at her, a sad frown appearing on his face. "It's not the dogs you're still scared off, is it?"

She bit the inside of her cheek, swallowing before she was able to try and answer. She didn't want to hurt him, but yes, he had scared her. His movements, his force. He'd resembled the other Eternal so much right then.

He smiled a small smile, then slowly got to his feet, rubbing his face as he did. "I'm sorry, Bonnie. For everything. I'll… give you some space."

He looked so lost that it pained her. "No, that's not it," she quickly blurted, forcing herself up. She walked up to him before he could go anywhere, and as he saw her approach, he cocked his head warily, gauging her.

 _I can feel it, you know?_ He told her, smiling sadly as she hung her head.

 _That's not fair._

 _Maybe not. But it is how it is…_

He turned to leave when she did something she hadn't done in a while. She extended her mind power and attacked his barriers, making him flinch away as she did.

 _Don't_ , he said, _why_ …

But she didn't want to hurt him, she just wanted him to see. To know. _You're not him. I know that. You're still an Eternal. And yes, that does scare me. It terrifies me. But what terrifies me more was the sudden panic I felt at the thought of losing you_.

"To a pack of rabid dogs to boot. How rather unpoetic," he stated out loud, drily, rolling his eyes at himself, and she had to chuckle.

"Well, yeah. Would have totally been no problem for me if it had been something a little more grandiose," she joked and was ridiculously excited when that got a laugh out of him.

Quickly, her smile grew a little more wistful. "We'll be okay, won't we?" she whispered, and he gave her a small smile and a half sideways hug.

"I hope so, love."

He leaned in and briefly kissed her forehead, before making his way over to the restroom area to pick some of their newfound things up.

"Let's get our stuff together," he said over his shoulder, "and find somewhere else to stay…"

She nodded, then, with a sigh, followed him.

…


	11. Atrocious luck

_Shoutout to deenew for being awesome! :)_

* * *

...

They had packed a good few bags full of stuff they could use - and a few things that weren't strictly necessary. They knew they could always come back to the store. They had even tried to block the doors again so that no more wild animals would be attracted and ransacked the building.

Bags strapped to their horses, they had made their way through the deserted town. Enzo had silently warned her to keep both eyes open, as towns like that were often a breeding ground for obscure characters, outcasts of society from both sides, and criminals.

Bonnie marveled at just how different the world was out there these days, outside of the immediate premises of the military-controlled big cities.

After her parents had died, she'd left the Outskirts with the intention of never coming back there. Her love for the place she had grown up had been tainted by the terrible slaughter of her family, and she had sworn she'd stay away forever, living out the rest of her days in the cities, at her grams' house, seeking a better job than what she could have ever found back home.

But that was all in the past now. She hadn't spoken to her grams in weeks, she hadn't been to nurse school in even longer, and she certainly didn't have a home anymore. Anywhere.

Bonnie exhaled, watching a plume of condensed breath rise up into the cold air. She was standing in front of a small house, much smaller than most of the others they'd seen in this town. She was holding the reins of both horses, waiting for Enzo to come back outside.

He was in there, inspecting every nook and cranny, making sure the house was safe and not already occupied.

Its windows had been barred, its door locked, and it had taken them some effort to even break inside, which Enzo had taken as a good sign. She was still a bit upset that he had been so unwilling to even check out any of the fancier homes, but his reasoning had been that the small ones were way more off the radar of any ransackers and thus safer.

"Alright. I think we found ourselves a place to stay," he said, finally emerging out of the front door and walking down the few stairs.

"Yay…?" She made, giving him a half smile, and he grinned back at her.

"Your attempt at 'excitement' is endearing, love."

Bonnie rolled her eyes at him, but her smile widened anyway.

"Wanna know the best part?" He continued. "There's still some fodder for the horses in the adjacent shed. Let's get these guys settled in and then we'll see whether we can't get the stove working in there to finally get this gosh darn place a little warmer."

He gave a sigh that sounded more weary than he probably knew, and Bonnie felt bad for him again. What was someone like him doing out here, where it got cold even for the Golden. She shook her head, contemplating asking him right then, but she decided it best to wait a little while longer.

* * *

...

When they had taken care of the horses and were finally both sitting cross-legged in front of the oven, eating a can of beans and some crackers, she found herself taking him in again.

His face looked awfully drawn, if just as handsome, and in a way it was still boggling to her to know just how little he looked like the stereotypes she'd been confronted with as a kid. Propaganda, of course, she'd known it even back then. Her parents had made sure she saw through the lies, that she knew that people were people, that even the enemy had children, had feelings, hopes and dreams, and fears. No one had told her the Silveren were handsome people, though.

The ones that she'd seen that day, they hadn't been handsome at all, they had been rough looking, unkempt, and wild. But now… She had to wonder whether it had just been a trick of her mind, her memory getting shaped by the terror of the events.

She forced herself to stop right there, she didn't want to bring up those memories again.

"Do you think we Golden are ugly?" she suddenly blurted, closing her eyes for just a second in horror when she realized what she'd just asked. "I mean… you know, because we are your enemy. I'm sure there's propaganda out there to make us look like the bad guys, and I was wondering… whether it paints us in an unattractive light as well, or whether you might actually think we look… strange?" It wasn't getting better the more she spoke. In the end, she just bit her lip and fell silent, concentrating hard on her beans.

He'd given her a curious look. Out of the corner of her eye she could still see him watch her, stare at her.

"I think _you_ are beautiful," he muttered, finally looking elsewhere, and she was strangely relieved and acutely aware that he'd singled her out.

"I'm flattered," she said, honestly, but also jokingly, "that doesn't exactly answer my question, however."

He gave a sigh. There was too much weariness in there again, and a frown began to form on her face, when he replied.

"No, I do not think the Golden are ugly. I do not think they - you - are the bad guys in this war, and I don't think any of it matters."

He ended rather abruptly, and stood up to leave the room, leaving her to wonder what she could have done wrong.

She tried reaching out through their link, unsure whether she should follow him, but he'd warded off his mind even more than usual and other than the constant pulsing pain that was always too strong to completely hide from her, she felt nothing.

Maybe she should just give him some time. He was tired and exhausted after all, even more so than she was, after his ordeal as a prisoner. The fight against the dogs had surely not helped matters, either.

Pressing her mouth together, she sent out an _I'm sorry if I said something wrong_ , then she proceeded to clean up the little kitchen before she would go and try to find herself a place to sleep. She wasn't sure she could or should still try to share the bed with him. She had somehow messed things up, and it gave her a pang.

There was so little good in her life right now, their relationship - whatever that even really was - was still so fragile and nothing she could put a finger on, and she had managed to botch it.

Like she'd botched the bonding, or nurse training, or her stupid other relationships. There had always been something. And not just there. Her friendships: ended. Even the one to Elena and Damon. She hadn't even been able to be a good daughter. Fighting with her parents over how they wasted their perfectly good bond for being farmers and "forcing" her to go down the same route.

She grimaced at the memory. It had been only days before…

No. She couldn't do this.

She hurriedly cleaned up the rest of their stuff, closing the oven, too, already missing its comforting heat, then walking out and into the dark of the rest of the house.

* * *

...

He was sitting leaning against the wall by the front door. He'd shoved his jacket against where the crack had let in gusts of icy wind from outside and he was now freezing in his too thin shirt. But he was too tired to get up, too tired to care.

The cold wasn't worse than the pain, anyways.

His eyes were closed as he battled with unwelcome thoughts and feelings, using the pain to wash them away. At least it was good for something. If rarely.

"Enzo? Are you alright?"

He looked up, startled, wondering where she had come from: Bonnie... Had he passed out for a bit there after all? She was sitting hunched in front of him, worry obvious in her face, and it was so jarring to see someone look at him like that, someone like her to boot, with actual real concern. If he hadn't leaned against a wall, with nothing and no one behind him, he wouldn't even have entertained the thought that the worry was directed at him.

"Fine, love," he breathed, annoyed that even speaking was exhausting, and he grimaced, looking at her.

She had the most beautiful eyes. Brilliant green, with highlights, unlike anything he'd ever seen. Long lashes framing them; and he loved it when she blinked and looked at something just through them, as if she could hide there, in a space only for her.

"You don't look fine."

"And here I thought I was a semi decent looking guy." He chuckled briefly and enjoyed seeing her flush even in the darkness of the room. "Which makes me sound rather arrogant," he then conceded, "Which probably goes with whatever prejudices regarding the Silveren you've grown up to believe."

She scoffed. For a second he was sure she'd just leave him sitting there - as she should, but then she surprised him by placing a soft hand on his cheek, then, frown deepening, on his forehead.

"You are _fine_ ," she said with a smile, but he could tell that she wasn't feeling particularly happy. "But you have a fever," she said, "which also makes you 'not fine.'"

He raised his eyebrows briefly, then muttered, "I guess there's no denying that. I probably just need some sleep…"

What he hadn't told her was that one of the stupid dogs had bitten him earlier, right in his freaking weapon-arm, tearing the bandage even more, and it had begun to feel like his whole arm was on fire. He really did have some fucking atrocious luck lately. He clenched his jaw against the pain, knowing that she could see right through him.

He took a few shallow breaths, in and out, trying to deepen them, but only making it worse. He stared at her, defeated. She'd find out soon enough. There was no hiding this from her forever.

It cost him too much energy to keep the pain from spilling over as it was. Soon it would be entering the space he shared with her, washing over him completely, like it had done before, when he had still been a prisoner of war, when he had wished he could just die.

But he couldn't. Not anymore. Not when her life depended on his.

"I can't… anymore," he breathed, face falling, words starting to evade him. He averted his gaze, although her face was the only solace he still had. He couldn't let her see. He couldn't let the pain destroy her too. But it was getting too hard. He tried lifting his arm, to show her, but even that wouldn't really work, and he made a clipped sound somewhere in the back of his throat at the sensation blazing through him as bright as the freaking scar on his arm.

She scrutinized him, gently, very softly taking his arm in her hands. She was asking something, but he couldn't quite follow. Couldn't look at her.

"Enzo?" His name.

"Sorry. I'm sorry. I can't…"

The pain was so terrible, so grating, obliterating him, and suddenly, he banged the side of his head hard against the wall, startling her, scaring her, and a stifled moan or yell or sob escaped him as he let himself fall forward and into her arms, where she caught him.

 _Why didn't you tell me?_ she asked softly, sadly, as she was holding him, swaying them both back and forth.

His reply was just a jumbled mess of thoughts and feelings, no words, no shot at conversation. But she seemed to understand him anyway, seemed to read him as if they really were just one mind. Seeing just how scared he was. How in pain. How lost. How alone in this forever.

But when she gently told him _You're not alone, Enzo. You have me now. You are not alone anymore, okay?_ , he slowly felt his pain become the smallest smidgen more bearable, slowly, bit by bit, as she opened her mind wider, allowing it in.


	12. Little black dress

_Thank you all! Especially to Jade, jannay, kpmindc, and deenew!_

 _Jade: thanks! The kiss needed to happen, right? And them growing closer is why we're here after all. Glad you liked it. :) And thanks for the good wishes! I'm so terrified of driving. Writing is a good way to ignore it. lol_

 _So happy to have you all here. You know, sometimes I feel like writing for Benzo is not exactly rewarding if you compare it to the traction other stories get on here._ _But it IS so rewarding to me, because I love them so much, and writing them is so fun. If that makes sense. lol_

 _And it makes me happy to see that there's at least a few people like me that also saw their chemistry and still like to read about them._

 _I started out (on a separate account) writing for Dark Angel. And the ship that used to be just a side ship is now the major ship over there. So, maybe one day... lol_

 _Also: warning for some... um, explicit stuff down below... if you don't like that, you may want to skip the last few paragraphs._

* * *

...

She sat with him the entire night, holding him, sharing the pain. It was awful, it was comforting, it was painful, and full of love, all at the same time.

It was really true then. Bonnie Bennett loved a Silveren. An Eternal. What would her parents have thought…

When the first morning light peaked in through the cracks of the wooden planks, she had barely gotten any sleep. But when she looked down and saw that Enzo was still sleeping, or at least had his eyes closed, she had to smile, relieved.

He'd needed that, desperately. Rest.

She inhaled deeply, shifting her weight as best as she could, her body sore and tired and in need of a change of position. But she regretted it instantly, when Enzo blinked at her, waking up.

He looked at her, confused and a little displaced, but she could see the memory return and cloud his eyes.

"Good morning," she said with a smile, and he tried to get up quickly, but she placed a hand on his chest, gently, shaking her head. "Easy now."

"I'm sorry," his voice was dark and raspy from sleep, "for last night. I…"

"You don't need to apologize. For anything."

He clenched his jaw. She could see, if not hear, him think. He was trying to rebuild his walls, she could feel the pain ease up on her side and it was a relief. Still, she shook her head once more.

"Don't. Not yet. I can take it a little longer. And you need the time," she whispered, knowing he'd understand.

"You are too good to be true, Bonnie Bennett. Gorgeous, smart. You don't let me apologize, you share… this," he lifted his left arm ever so slightly, "can I at least thank you?"

She smiled, nodding. "Nothing wrong with that," she said, "though it's also not necessary."

His face finally showed the smallest of smiles, just a slight curl at the corners of his mouth, but it made her feel warm inside nonetheless.

"Maybe you're not real after all," he muttered, now finally sitting up, touching her face, tracing her mouth with his thumb.

"I'm a Golden. The enemy," she reminded him. "So, I'm really not that perfect for a Silveren. If I wasn't real, don't you think your mind would have left out that strange little detail? Made me a cute little perfect Silveren girl?"

"You don't know my mind all that well, love," he smiled, then sobering quickly, "well, aside from the pain centering there…"

She sighed. "Speaking of… I didn't want to disturb you last night, but… we really need to check your arm."

He rolled his eyes, pressing his lips together. It was obvious that he would have rather wanted to continue ignoring it, but she wouldn't let him.

"Come on," she muttered, helping him up slowly. With a hanging head, he reluctantly followed her into the tiny bathroom situated at the end of the small hallway.

She made him sit down on the toilet, suddenly acutely aware that she really needed to pee, and for a moment it battled in her mind whether she'd be able to take care of his arm first and then go, or not.

"This is so awkward," she grinned at him, embarrassed, "but I think I need to… uh, use the bathroom first?"

"That's not a question, is it? Because it sounded like a question," Enzo said, chuckling, and she started laughing, too.

"I mean, we are sharing a mind-bond now, you could probably tell if it was a little less botchy…"

He got up, smirking, walking past her really close, and she could feel his breath on her cheek.

"I'll wait outside then."

"Don't go too far. I mean it. We really need to check on your arm."

"I know…"

When she was in the bathroom, alone, tending to her own bodily needs, she sighed as she thought about how easy this had been. Bringing the bathroom up. So natural.

She'd always been someone to feel embarrassed about her body's wants and needs, she'd always had trouble telling a boyfriend she needed to go. It had never stopped to be super uncomfortable for her.

Until Lorenzo St. John.

She snorted, still in disbelief over how this was possible. How her feelings for him had just blindsided her, coming out of nowhere, left field, however you wanted to put it. It was just so surprising.

She thought of Damon then, and her heart skipped a beat. He was still there, in her heart, in her thoughts. What had gone so horribly wrong? Maybe in a different time, a different universe, they could have had a shot at happiness together, could have at least stayed friends.

But this was their universe, their world, and that chance had passed without them being able to grasp it, if it had ever been there.

Now it actually seemed to have been for the better… Because she _was_ happy. For the first time in forever.

"Doing alright in there, love?"

She was jolted out of her musings when she heard his voice. She must have spent quite some time in there. "Almost done, sorry!" she yelled, cheeks flushing. Spoke too soon. This _was_ awkward.

Quickly, she got ready, grinning at her reflection in the mirror, washing her hands with water from the bucket they'd filled with snow the day before.

When she opened the door, Enzo was sitting on the armrest of the nearest couch in the living room, which was visible from the hallway. He seemed lost in thought, and Bonnie couldn't help but watch him for a few more moments, before she called out to him. "Let's take a look now," she said, and he made a face but came over to her anyways.

* * *

…

She had tried her best to clean the wound, and salvage what she could from the bandage. Thankfully, the dog hadn't done too much actual damage, but he'd still penetrated the skin and the marks were weirdly gleaming just like the rest of Enzo's arm.

He'd held his breath when she'd taken off the bandage, just sitting and waiting as she washed it thoroughly, then patted it dry with a towel. "We'll have to hang it up to dry," she said, feeling bad as she did, because she knew what that entailed. But Enzo was a trooper and simply nodded at her, letting her get on with patching him up and putting a normal bandage around his arm in the meantime.

"Just don't expect me to be of much help with anything today," he said with a lopsided unhappy grin, and she kissed his forehead, hugging him briefly as she said,

"I'll take on some of it, if you let me."

Their gazes locked, hers firm, his pained. She could tell that he wanted to say no, didn't want her to go through that pain again, so she put a finger over his mouth to stop him. _Let me…_

And he nodded almost imperceptibly, then let his head drop against her, letting her hold him close.

* * *

...

They didn't do much that day. Stayed inside, huddled together on the couch, holding each other like two people that only had each other in a too cold and bare world. They ate a little, Bonnie having to force Enzo to have at least a few small bites. They tried to sleep. They lay. They waited.

Bonnie kept checking on the bandage and when it was finally dry, after another long and grating night, she did her best to quickly wrap it around his arm, worrying her lips as she did.

The bandage was torn badly, she had to use some tricks to make it work. But even then, it was just too short now, the blazing having crept up his arm yet another inch or so, and they exchanged a glance as they saw it, a sinking feeling making Bonnie swallow hard.

Enzo looked at her apologetically. "I guess I'll just have to get on this task. If you want, I can go by myself. I don't want to-"

"No," she interrupted him. "You're not getting rid of me so easily.

He smiled at her mildy. "I'm not trying to…"

"Well then. We are doing this together."

"We'll have to ride into Silveren territory…"

She looked at him challengingly. "So?"

His smile only widened. "You're a tough cookie, Bonnie Bennett. But. You're also a Golden, and I'm not sure I can protect you when it comes to it."

"I guess I'll just have to watch out for myself then," she stated, adding, "and you." But she smiled as she said it, and he pulled her in for a hug, breathing a "thank you" into her hair.

No, she thought. She wouldn't let him go alone. She wouldn't stay behind. They were in this together now, always. They _were_ one.

* * *

…

They allowed each other a few more days. Just enough for Enzo's wounds to heal, for Bonnie to get a little better at riding a horse, for them both to pretend the world was a better place without war, where they shared a home together, filled with happy sounds and music and reading.

They lived in a happy bubble for almost a week, reluctant to ever leave. But they knew they had to, they knew it was time, and they got their things packed up and ready once more to set out into the unknown once morning had come.

Until then, they wanted to enjoy their last peaceful night. And Bonnie was in the kitchen, trying to make them something out of the few cans and boxes they had left, when Enzo tossed her a bag, nodding at it. "Do me a favor, love? Would you wear this for me?"

She opened the bag slowly, fingers stiff and clumsy, and she gasped when she saw what it was: the little black dress she had seen at the store that very first day. The one she had dreamed of wearing, knowing full well she'd never need dresses like that again. She'd never be dancing or going to fancy dinners.

"How…" He must have seen her, she realized, must have seen her touch the dress too longingly. He was perceptive, that much was sure, and she smiled.

He smiled back at her with a knowing luck. "Just… try it on, will you?"

She walked over to him, grazing his cheek with her lips in a quick kiss. "Okay," she breathed, "not that there's any occasion for this kind of outfit."

"There's always an occasion."

She threw back her head, chuckling lightly. "I want to have your optimism," she said then walked over to the bedroom, winking at him briefly before closing the door.

When she was alone she took a deep breath, sitting down on the bed for a moment, lightly following the seams of the dress, touching its intricate details, feeling its soft fabric. It was prettier than anything she'd ever owned, or worn.

What if it didn't fit, if she looked ridiculous? She sniffed. It didn't really matter. It was just for fun anyway. She'd put it on, show Enzo. They'd get a good laugh out of it, and she'd take it back off.

She took her time undressing, looked at herself in the tall mirror, wondering how he might see her. Then she took the dress and slipped inside, surprised to find it fit her pretty well.

Suddenly, she felt stupid, regardless, but she braced herself and opened the door anyways.

A gasp escaped her. She hadn't been expecting what she saw: Candles burning everywhere. A few - fake, because it was all that was available - flowers. An assortment of food on the table. And Enzo in a nice white button down shirt and black slacks, holding a guitar in his hands, slowly beginning to strum as she walked closer, his eyes on her, smiling briefly before his expression changed into something more… desiring.

She cocked her head, smiling.

"You planned all this?"

"I know it's not much, love. But it's all this little town would give me," he said, finally standing up to meet her. "You are gorgeous," he breathed, and the look he gave her made her cheeks flush even more. "May I have this dance?"

Bonnie chuckled, amused. "We don't even have any music. Unless you plan on playing the guitar and dancing simultaneously…"

He shook his head. "We don't need music."

She was suddenly shy as he took her hand and walked her over to the middle of the living room, where there was enough space to dance. She felt stupid and ridiculous, but he was so sure of himself, so sure of _this_ , that she couldn't not give it a try.

As they waltzed across the room, very slowly, very intimately, she leaned her head against him, listening to his heart beat, losing herself in the moment.

She wanted it to last forever.

…

They ended their dance with a kiss, a chaste kind of kiss, lips barely touching. Gentle and soft.

But soon, Bonnie found herself almost hurling herself at Enzo, her mouth opening wide, her tongue foraging, finding his, continuing the waltz, turning it into a tango.

The dress, so sparkly and beautiful, had another advantage. Easy access. She felt Enzo's hands push it up effortlessly, felt his fingers travel across the skin of her thighs, felt him grab her behind, hard, and it made her grow heavy and tingly in all the right places.

"Fuck me," she hissed, mouth still on his, and she lifted her arms so he could pull the dress up and over her head until she stood almost naked in front of him. She hadn't put on a bra, because it would have shown under the dress, and the cool air felt tingly on her bare skin, her nipples hardening instantly.

Enzo licked his lips, then cocked his head, taking her in. Just watching her. The tingling feeling grew.

She made herself pull down her panties, too, until she was stark naked, face flushed, hands at her sides. "Fuck me, Lorenzo St. John," she repeated, growing shy when he took his sweet time.

When he finally pulled her close, still completely dressed, it was such a relief, it felt so good, and she tore at his shirt, his pants, wanting to feel his skin, wanting him inside of her, wanting to be one with him, to be complete.

His cock was already hard and straining when she took it out, holding it in her hand for a bit, feeling the tender skin, the ridge, the soft silky feeling of the tip against the palm of her hand, the pulsing veins under her fingertips. His shuddered breaths told her that he ached for more, and she was ready to give it to him.

They tumbled over to the couch, and she shoved him down, straddling him quickly, grabbing his cock, hard, making him stare at her, then pushing it inside herself, where she was hot and wet and aching for him, grinding her hips against his, until she thought he was reaching the other side of her.

They were picking up their pace quickly, until he suddenly stood up, hoisting her up with him, his length never once leaving her vagina, and laid her down on the couch so he could fuck her even harder, faster, and she arched her back, wanting even more then, needing it even harder, until she could tell that he was starting to worry he might hurt her, but she shook her head no, and he obliged.

She threw her head back, baring her neck, and he placed a hand right on it, holding her there, while his other hand traveled down over her breasts, pinching each nipple as he went, then down further until he circled her clit, again and again, rubbing the tender skin until she could barely take it anymore. And then, with a few last mind numbingly hard thrusts, he put his thumb right on her clit, pressing down, stroking, once, twice, three times, until she came with a loud moan and as she clenched around him, riding out her body's shivers, he came, too, arching his back, then collapsing on top of her, and they both started giggling when their sweaty bodies made the funniest quelching noise as he did.

They laid like that for a while, before he rolled to the side, not wanting to crush her, but she missed his weight, his warmth immediately and huddled up closer to him right away, her head against his chest, her body half on his.

"We are one now, Lorenzo St. John," she muttered, as she felt him stroke her hair absently, "we really are one…"


	13. Into the Outskirts

_Thanks Jade, kpmindc, and deenew!_

 _Jade: yes! This fandom is awesome! And totally civilized. I love it here. :) And yes. Of course people move on, interests shifts. Time needs to be used for other stuff outside of fanfic... I was pretty late to hop on, because it took me forever to find the time to even finally catch up with TVD season 7 and 8..._

 _But on with the story! :)_

* * *

...

They left the small house in the early hours, when it wasn't quite morning yet, but the deepest night, at least, was over.

It was dark - and cold, still. Bonnie rolled her eyes at the weather. She was so over it.

With a sigh, she followed Enzo. He was leading her on their way into the unknown. He'd jotted down a map for her, showing her the rough outline of the route they would be taking, deep into the Outskirts, and then, into Silveren territory. The thought alone had made her feel the tingle of anxious anticipation, mixed with the cold sweat of a panic attack. But they didn't have a choice.

How she'd wished they could just stay away from everyone else, away from the war, from the Golden, and the Silveren, the Bonded and the Eternal.

But it wasn't meant to be. They were in too deep, an amalgamation of it all, and they were falling apart. Enzo's whole arm was slowly taking on the color of his scar, his pain a constant in both their lives. Their link was the one thing keeping him functioning, and when he'd quietly told her just the night before that he was now officially holding the record for having been the longest Eternal alive without access to a weapon, she'd been so shocked and upset she hadn't been able to say anything else to him other than, "So… this is uncharted territory now? It could just be our bond keeping you alive?"

He'd given her the saddest look. He'd apologized. And he'd made it even worse when he'd told her, "They'll be looking for me."

"We already know that," she'd replied, but he'd shaken his head.

"Not just your people. Mine…"

It had taken her a while to fully grasp what that meant. Two groups of people were coming for them. It was only a matter of time till one of them found them, or maybe both. They'd have to be even more careful to not fall into the wrong people's hands. Easier said than done when you needed help.

Enzo had mentioned a friend. But she was military too, and that worried Bonnie, because Enzo had told her his people would definitely want to rule out he'd sided with the Golden since he had survived behind enemy lines for so long.

"Maybe they don't know you got captured, though, right? I mean, how would they know?"

"They don't. But it's either that, death, or desertion. Nothing else keeps any of us from reporting back through our outposts."

Bonnie hadn't really known what to say. Part of her had been shocked to realize that the Silveren must have had outposts hidden far in the Golden territory. Something she had never thought about before. Maybe some of them were even in the big cities.

"What if she informs her superiors that you contacted her, then? If they're so desperately waiting to hear back from you?"

"She wouldn't."

Bonnie had frowned, strangely upset about how sure of that he sounded. Because her own best friend _had_ betrayed her…

"You don't know that."

Enzo had given her a mild smile. "I do."

"That's what I thought about Damon and Elena," she had argued, and his expression had changed into something darker, sadder.

"I know, love. But that may have been the bond corrupting them. They may have gotten brainwashed during whatever 'training' you guys get when you establish that type of… connection."

Bonnie's breath had hitched. He'd said it so casually, like he just knew how the military worked and that that was something they would do. But the thought had never even occurred to her. It explained so much. The Damon she knew - had known - would have never done such a thing…

"But I'm sure your military gives you all similar training," she'd argued, still trying to make sense of his words. He'd shaken his head, suddenly guarded, clenching and unclenching his jaw.

"You can't tell me we are so much worse than you guys," she'd added, when he'd suddenly interrupted her, sounding uncharacteristically… angry.

"That's not what I'm saying. If anything, it's the other way around. The Silveren… _we_ are worse. You have no idea _what_ they are doing to us once we've joined the military. And that is exactly the reason why I trust her."

He'd looked at her, agitation visible in his features. She only had to put two and two together to figure that whatever he was alluding to couldn't be very good. If the scar on his arm that had turned him into an Eternal was anything to go by, it must have been gruesome. She hadn't had the heart to ask or argue any more, so she had simply nodded and they'd gone on their journey.

They had been riding for half a day already, with only one stop in between, and she felt herself getting too sore and too tired already. That there was still an awkward tension between them didn't help matters at all.

She wasn't willing to admit that she needed a break, however, pride getting the better of her. So she simply trudged on, hoping against hope that Enzo would soon make the decision that it was time to put up camp for the night.

When that didn't happen, when they were still marching on with their horses come nightfall, even their horses looking tired and drawn, Bonnie sighed, and eventually put her foot down.

"Alright. Fine. I'm done," she announced, stopping right where she was and hopping off her poor horse. The ground underneath her was hard and frozen over and it was probably not the greatest spot to spend the night, but she was done.

Enzo reined his horse in, finally looking at her for the first time in hours, and Bonnie was a little surprised to see him smile at her.

Her features darkened, but she didn't say anything, just glared at him.

"Do you have anything to say, or are you just gonna stay on your horse and… stare at me?" Her frustration broke out of her unbidden, and that made her even angrier.

And she _was_ angry, she didn't even know why. Angry at her situation, at the world, at being kept in the dark about that mysterious friend of Enzo's.

"You're jealous," he suddenly stated and her glare merely intensified. She rolled her eyes and turned away from him.

"Whatever," she hissed. "I'll just try and get some rest…"

She wasn't looking, but she heard him dismount behind her back, while she tried busying herself with setting up a little bedstead of sorts under a few nearby trees. She felt his stare in her back, felt his smile, but she didn't look around. He'd called her jealous. She was upset about that, too.

Admittedly, though, she guessed he was right. She _was_ jealous. She didn't know the woman at all. Didn't know what she looked like, whether she was smart, kind, or rough and wild. She didn't know whether they could truly trust her. And she was terrified of getting sidelined by her. That woman had history with Enzo.

Something Bonnie didn't really have yet.

 _Unless you count that strange mind-bond, or the fact that you pretty much saved my life, the fact that you were there for me when I was at my worst. Or the fact that I love you…_

She started and whirled around. "You read my mind," she breathed, embarrassed, shocked.

"I honestly didn't have a choice. You invaded mine." He gave her a pointed look, and she checked their bond, heat flushing into her face as she realized he was right.

She needed to pull herself together. Whenever she got too agitated, she apparently overrode his poor mind and-

He loved her.

His words caught up with her at that moment and she gave him a curious look. He smiled back at her, such a sincere, such a handsome expression on his face, and she stood up from where she had sat patting down the tarp she'd put on the ground. She moved until she stood right in front of him, gazing up into his dark eyes, a finger moving up to touch the curl of his lips as if of its own accord.

"There's really nothing for you to be jealous about, love," he said, "I'm sorry if I or any of my actions today led you to believe there was. I'm really just… scared, I guess," he told her with such raw honesty, that she forgot why she had even been angry to begin with. "Maybe I was trying to flee from that powerless feeling by riding without a pause. I'm sorry. I should have-"

She placed a finger right over his mouth, shaking her head. _I love you too_ , she admitted, using her inner voice. She didn't need him to explain. She wanted to save him the trouble, wanted to spare him having to be so open and vulnerable. _I really do. And that scares_ me.

* * *

…

They spent the night huddled together under all the blankets they had, still freezing terribly, and Bonnie was the first one in the morning to finally make a small fire and get some water boiling to awaken their frozen bodies.

They hadn't dared it during the night, too aware of the fact that the flames could have been seen from miles away. They had paid for it dearly, teeth chattering now, fingers and toes blue, and Bonnie was worried that the day's ride would be the worse for it.

When the water was hot and ready, she walked over to where Enzo still sat leaning against one of the horses, extending a mug full of steaming water to him.

"Drink up. We gotta get going," she said, and he grimaced at her chipper tone.

"How do you even do it?" he asked, and she shrugged, knowing what he meant.

"My grams said winters didn't used to be this bad, though they certainly used to be this cold. Just not for as long. She said way back when - way before the Last War - most people were like us: sturdy enough to function both in the heat and the cold."

"I guess evolution fucked us up there, too, then. The Silveren shouldn't even be around anymore…"

She smiled at him mildy. "Well, I, for one, am glad that _you_ are still around," she muttered, flopping down next to him, leaning in to kiss him. But she didn't get very far, because suddenly, they both heard noises, like horses approaching. People.

They froze. Exchanging a look, they scrambled up.

 _Who do you think?_ Bonnie asked, fear rising inside of her. She wished for it to be a troop of her own people, but then again, what did it matter anymore? The Golden weren't going to treat them any better than the Silveren. Unless they came across someone that hadn't heard of their escape.

Which was highly doubtful, at least if they encountered any Golden. She knew how it worked. All the Bonded would have informed their partners. They had an intricate system among themselves. She hadn't been in a mind-bond for long enough to have been taught how exactly it worked, but she knew that it did.

Enzo motioned for her to stay with the horses, while he slowly crept past the trees and surrounding underbrush to try and catch a glimpse of whoever was out there. She felt her knees start shaking like crazy and she tried her best to tense her body to stop it.

When he came back to her, he didn't look too pleased. _My_ _people. Definitely military. I've counted six, so, an outpost, most likely. Could be a search troop..._

Her heart sank at the news. _What should we do?_

He gave her a look, intense and dark. For a crazy moment she thought he could just betray her. Offer her up. For his own safety, for a reward.

 _I'd never do that._ He looked hurt. Despite their dire situation, what had really gotten to him was that stupid thought of hers and she was upset that she'd managed to botch it yet again and he'd been able to see it.

 _I know_. She gave his arm a quick squeeze and was relieved when he seemed to accept it. He clenched his jaw, peeking out between the bushes again, and she repeated her question.

 _So what should we do?_

 _Wait. Hope they won't see us_. He didn't move, just stared at her. It was strange how good they had gotten at communicating that way. It felt so… natural.

 _And if they do?_ she asked, forcing herself not to fidget with her hands by shoving them deep in the pockets of her coat. She was so horribly nervous. Anxious. She needed to remember to breathe. Don't panic, she told herself and she saw him give her a small smile as he briefly stroked her cheek.

 _I'll try to talk to them. You just try to breathe, love. I promise I won't leave you._

She smiled back, feeling awkward. She hadn't had anyone other than her grams or Damon look out for her in a too long time. She was simply not used to this. She sniffed, overwhelmed by everything. _Do you think they could know who you are?_

He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. Out there, the approaching sounds we're becoming louder, but she was focused only on him. Something was going on with him, and she wasn't sure what that was.

 _Enzo?_

His jaw muscles were working, his gaze trained on the horizon, when he finally told her, _They will most definitely know._

 _Because you're an Eternal._ She nodded, understanding dawning.

 _No, Bonnie_. He shook his head, looking incredibly uncomfortable. _Because I'm their commander's son…_

Bonnie's mouth fell open. The Silveren only had one commander. She didn't know too much about the Silveren, about their political structure, their military, heck, she didn't even know enough about her own. But she did remember that the commander was their leader. And Enzo was his… son?!


	14. Enemy encounter

_Thanks kpmindc, Jade, and deenew! I hope you know how much more fun you're making this!_

 _Jade: I'm glad you're on board with the simplicity of the "I love yous" - to me it fit them perfectly, too. :)_

 _I'm really not sure how "bad" this chapter is. I had to come back again and again to try and fix it, because I wasn't satisfied for the longest time, and I hope it's okay now._

* * *

...

The small group of people had come to a stop and dismounted their horses.

Enzo could hear them talk among themselves, low voices that were hard to understand. Still, he was almost certain he'd heard one of them mention horse tracks. He clenched his jaw. Stupid snow. The weather really wasn't good for anything. They had probably left a perfect trail of hoof prints, making it easy for anyone to follow them. It was a surprise, then, that no one had caught up with them until now.

He knew that they had Damon to thank for that, at least in part, though he was reluctant to admit it after what the man had pulled. Still, Enzo wanted to believe he'd always had his best friend's - Bonnie's - interests at heart, and he couldn't fault him for that.

But he didn't have time to think more about that, for right then, a tall pasty man with almost translucent looking white hair - probably their leader - pointed toward where Enzo and Bonnie were hiding.

With a sigh, Enzo stepped out into the open, bracing himself. He had no idea what orders they might have gotten. Though at least he was pretty certain they were told not to kill him on sight.

The translucent man and his followers visibly started, and Enzo saw them draw their weapons. Most of them merely had small daggers, but the tall guy was brandishing a sword. Without his Eternal weapon, Enzo wouldn't be much of a threat to them. Part of him had secretly hoped there'd be an Eternal among them, someone to steal a bandage from, maybe even the weapon.

He'd have to go with trying to be friendly, then.

"You're approaching Silveren territory," Pasty was informing him, and Enzo couldn't suppress a smirk.

"I know," he simply said, standing up straight, making sure he was eye level with the soldier. He stared at the man, and the man stared right back.

"There's tracks from two horses."

Enzo rolled his eyes. "So?"

"Who are you traveling with?"

"None of your concern." Enzo was playing now. He knew that the man probably knew who he was now. There was a flicker in his eyes, and he could tell that the others in the group were all on edge, waiting for something. But he wasn't going to spare them the awkwardness of calling him out.

He saw a nervous tick make Pasty's lip move awkwardly before the man finally hissed, "Don't make this difficult. You're St. John, aren't you? Where have you been?"

"The council should know what my mission was. I'm not gonna divulge it to you."

There were advantages to being the commander's son. They all feared the man just as much as he did, and they would never question him.

"Be that as it may. You are to come with us now. The council want you back. The commander wants you back."

"Lovely. One could almost think they care about me," Enzo quipped and earned himself another glare.

"They are just worried you turned traitor on us. They'll want to question you - especially now that I can't see your weapon on you…"

Enzo raised his eyebrows, then shrugged. He couldn't argue there. The lack of a weapon was rather obvious, of course.

"The second horse?" Another man, much younger, shorter, and with dark hair, had stepped closer, eyeing Enzo warily. Something about him seemed… off. The way he carried himself, the way he held his dagger. Something about his face. Enzo squinted at him.

"It's mine," Bonnie's voice suddenly piped up behind him, and he fought the urge to whirl around and glare at her. _What the hell?!_

 _They'd have found out soon enough, anyway. Better just get it over with. Show some good will..._

"And who are you?" The troop of soldiers were wary, suspicious. Pasty held up a hand to keep them from moving.

Enzo slowly stepped slightly in front of Bonnie, holding a protective arm in front of her.

"She's with me," he said, "that's all you need to know."

 _Should we go with them for a bit? Pretend we are willing to do what they want?_ he heard Bonnie's voice in his head and wanted to shake his head, but stopped himself.

 _No_ , he communicated, _we can't risk it. I'll have to…_

He felt her press herself against his arm ever so slightly, felt her worry, her rising panic, when suddenly, she gasped audibly, catching herself a little too late.

 _What_.

 _That man… the one by their… leader? I've seen him before. At school. He's just a year or two older than me. Tyler Lockwood._

A Golden. Enzo's features darkened. If Bonnie knew him, it could only mean that. He was a Golden, he was surely a Bonded, and he had infiltrated their army. Enzo's jaw muscles worked as he clenched and unclenched his teeth, trying to think.

 _We can use this._

 _No._ Bonnie sounded pleading. _They'd torture him, wouldn't they? Kill him?_

 _Probably._

 _He's… one of mine. I can't…_

Enzo sighed. He hated the infiltrators with a passion. They had lost many good soldiers because of them, had lost fights. They were like traitors, only worse, because they had never actually been on the Silveren side.

Of course he had always hated the freaking war to begin with and thus anyone who made the number of casualties even higher.

And he was also bonded to a Golden himself now, so what did that make him?

(Not just bonded, either. He was in love, hopelessly, stupidly, dangerously in love.)

He raised his chin, still hearing Bonnie's worried pleas in his head. Then he addressed the translucent guy once more. "You'll have to let us go on our way-"

"I can't do that."

"I'm sure Lockwood here," the kid flinched slightly at hearing his name, surely shocked that Enzo knew it, "will be able to confirm that I have matters to attend that can't wait. Direct orders from the commander, in fact."

"You're just using your… special connection to the commander," the man swallowed at his words, "to your advantage. _We_ have orders, too, and no one mentioned that you'd have a mission still to attend to."

Enzo stared him down. "Well, be my guest, then. Bring me directly in front of the council. But don't be surprised if they won't thank you for your service." He extended both hands, wrist to wrist, as if offering himself up to be cuffed.

 _Enzo…_

 _Relax, love. He's not gonna do it. And if he tries after all, I'll just… take care of him._

 _Take care of him?!_

But he didn't have to explain the obvious to her. Thankfully, pasty - who still hadn't even introduced himself, Enzo noticed - backed away a little, if undoubtedly annoyed, and shook his head.

"Fine," he allowed. "Lockwood?"

"Uh, he's… right. Sir. Sorry, I was not at liberty to discuss this before meeting with the Eternal directly, Sir. In fact, I'll… need to have word with him in private. If I may?"

Pasty looked positively exasperated. With a huff, he motioned for his soldier to do as he had been ordered, and Lockwood quickly walked a few steps to the side with both Enzo and Bonnie.

Enzo smirked at him, almost feeling sorry for the Golden Bonded. Almost. He'd given the kid a chance, so there was no need for sympathy.

"Bonnie, right?" Lockwood quietly said now, shooting Enzo an alarmed glance. "Is he…"

"Let us go, Tyler, or you'll all die," she said firmly, and her tone made Enzo slightly proud of her.

"What… what's going on? They told me you had escaped together… my partner was there when it happened.

Something dawned on Enzo then. "Donovan?!" he said, half still in disbelief, but the man's surprised look answered it for him. "Well, fuck me," it escaped him, and he shook his head, exchanging a glance with Bonnie.

They were still screwed, then. Lockwood had probably already informed dear Mattie about their current location. They really needed to get going.

"Are you on their side now, Bonnie?" Tyler cocked his head, scrutinizing her, "I'm confused. Is he forcing you? What's going on here?"

"We are on nobody's side anymore," Bonnie whispered, and Enzo knew it was true. It was them against everyone now, there were no sides anymore other than their own.

"But-"

"We don't have time. Did you already communicate our whereabouts to the Sergeant?" she asked, absently clutching Enzo's arm, and he found himself staring at her hand in wonder. He really wasn't alone anymore…

"I…," Tyler faltered, looking unhappy and put on the spot.

Enzo closed his eyes briefly. This was all rather unfortunate, a mess that couldn't be resolved unless he…

"They'll find out who you are," he told the Golden soldier. "You should try and flee as soon as you get the chance. Until then, make sure they believe the story we just made up. If not-"

Suddenly, the kid pulled out a small revolver, aiming it straight at Enzo, who squinted disappointedly at the other man.

"I'm sorry, but I have my orders, I can't let you go."

 _Should have just ratted him out…_

 _Enzo._ She sounded so disapproving even in his head that he had to smile to himself. Of course that only agitated the soldier in front of him more.

"Is this a joke to you?!"

Bonnie tried to shove herself between the two men, Enzo glaring at her angrily as she did. But when he tried to stop her, Tyler waved his firearm around so dangerously close to Bonnie that he froze.

"Leave her out of this."

"If she survives, I'll bring her home."

"You won't survive shooting me, not with these guys over there waiting…"

"I have my orders. Letting an Eternal go is worse than a little collateral damage. If it means she and I will have to die, so be it."

Enzo rolled his eyes. "You can't be serious."

Tyler glared at him. "I'm sorry, Bonnie," he muttered.

It all happened so quickly that, for a moment, Enzo wasn't sure it was real. The translucent guy had seemingly finally caught on to the fact that things were going awry under his watch. As he was calling out to Lockwood, the kid suddenly pulled the trigger. Enzo was still right in front of him, not even trying to move so as not to put Bonnie in harm's way, when she suddenly flew right in front of him, and he heard a horrible noise as a bullet tore through her body, making her spread her arms out in shock as the force threw her back and she slumped down, right into his arms.

 _No_.

* * *

…

The next few minutes were nothing but a blur. Bonnie in his arms, Enzo felt the shock of the situation assault him in a strange surge. His brain was numb.

Lockwood stared at him, wide-eyed, panicked.

It was as if all noises had accumulated in the loud shot, and only silence was left.

Enzo blinked, his sluggish mind trying to tell him something. Bonnie needed help. He looked down and saw blood seep through her coat. No no no.

He wanted to lay her down gently, but then the reality of their situation finally came back into focus as the forgotten soldiers resurfaced at the periphery of Enzo's vision, mouths open. Yelling?

He was breathing too fast. The world wasn't moving right.

"Freeze! I said fucking freeze!"

A switch was flipped and suddenly Enzo found himself staring from Lockwood to the soldiers, then back. The Golden had his firearm pointed at him, hand shaky and unsteady. He was saying something, but not to Enzo.

Then there was another loud bang - and Enzo ducked down just in time, laying Bonnie on the ground, steadying himself with one arm to shield her. The kid would shoot again. There was no escaping this anymore. No peaceful solution. It was all going to have to end there.

With a sudden jump, Enzo returned into a standing position, then whirled around, lashing out with one outstretched leg to kick at the most imminent opponent and made Tyler fall.

He heard the other soldiers now, though what they were saying was still unintelligible to him, as if he had forgotten how to speak their language.

He rushed over to the kid, a look of regret on his face as he pressed down on the startled Golden's face, then twisting his head to the side quickly, crushing his windpipe, snapping his neck with a force that was almost inhuman.

"The hell are you doing, St. John?! We should have questioned the man! He's one of _those_!" Pasty was in his face, not an inch away. The man didn't know what was coming to him. What was happening.

Until it was too late.

No witnesses. No one could know about this. About them. About her... He needed to keep her safe.

And so he did.

It was over so quickly, the ground under his feet a bloody mess when he was finished, and he took a shuddering breath as he saw the carnage.

He was a monster. Had always been. But even that didn't matter right now, because Bonnie was still lying on the cold snow, bleeding, and he needed to save her.

She was all that mattered anymore.

* * *

...

When Bonnie opened her eyes, it was hazy all around her and she wasn't sure whether it was from fog or from something her brain was doing.

She felt foggy all over, and she was in pain. A moan escaped her unbidden as she tried sitting up, to no avail.

Slowly, she realized that she was moving. She felt the horse's muscles move under her, felt blankets surrounding her, felt a horrible pain in her side. She grimaced, gingerly trying to reach the spot with her shaky hand.

And then she remembered. Tyler Lockwood, that kid from school, had tried to shoot Enzo and had shot her instead. She clenched her teeth, hard, moaning again. Then suddenly, her horse stopped and she heard footsteps approach.

Enzo's drawn and exhausted face appeared in front of her and as he tried to smile at her his arms slowly came around her and pulled her off the horse. She yelled out in pain, feeling a sob rise in her throat, and she couldn't help it, tears were starting to roll.

"It hurts," she muttered.

"I know, love. I'm sorry, I'll do what I can…"

She felt so stupid. This was surely nothing compared to what he'd had to endure. She knew it wasn't. She'd shared some of his pain before, but somehow, this was still different.

 _Because it's yours._

She sniffed, clinging to him as he lowered her to the ground. Only now did she realize that they were not outside anymore, but in something that looked like a shed. Straw was lying on the ground, and it smelled distinctly like animals, though she couldn't see any.

"Old farm burnt down. Looks like the people just up and left after that. Took their cattle." Enzo gave her a look, distraught and weary, and she felt strangely guilty.

"I'm… sorry if I made a mess of this," she whispered. Even speaking was a strain making the pulsing pain in her side worse and she flinched.

He shook his head at her, smiling a small smile. "You saved me again, Bonnie Bennett. You are a marvelous woman. I really don't deserve you…"

She touched his face, her fingertips barely grazing his cool skin before gravity and exhaustion made her drop her arm back down by her side.

"I'll have to check on your wound again, I'm afraid."

She swallowed, then grimaced. "That doesn't sound like much fun."

His smile was still just a lingering curl around the corners of his mouth, but his eyes lit up a little more, and she saw sympathy in there, and love.

And something darker…

She hissed as he carefully went about his work, gently opening her coat, pulling her shirt up. "How bad is it?" she whispered, though she didn't actually want to know.

"Not great. But you'll live."

"You need to work on your bedside manners," she informed him and heard him give a half chuckle. "You know, 'not great' is not a great start..." She winked, but grimaced as another shot of pain pierced her side.

"I'm sorry, love." He stopped briefly to give her a moment, then continued. "Well, on the plus side, I got the projectile out when you were still… unconscious. So, the worst is over."

Her breath hitched as he took off the last strip of whatever dressings he'd put on her injury and her eyes rolled back as she fought to stay conscious. She felt his hand on her forehead, a soothing touch, and she managed to take a shuddering breath.

"Almost done, love. Wish I could take on some of your pain, like you did for me…"

She could hear it in his voice, how upset he was, feeling inadequate. He thought he was weak.

"You're not weak, Enzo," she muttered, trying to look at him, though she had trouble focusing.

He grimaced. "Read my mind again there, huh?" he said, trying to sound chipper.

She wiggled her eyebrows at him briefly, but her smile wasn't long lasting. _It's okay. Really. I know why you can't. That isn't weakness, Lorenzo St. John. That's strength. I don't even know how you're functioning with that pain in you. Because I sure as hell can't even get up right now._

He grinned at her, then sobered quickly. "We'll need to get you to an actual doctor."

"Didn't you take care of the bullet? I'm sure-"

Enzo shook his head, not letting her finish. "You'll need antibiotics," he told her, and she pressed her lips together, upset and frustrated. Why did that stupid Tyler Lockwood have to shoot? He had robbed them of the chance to resolve the situation peacefully. Hed ruined so much, and the worst part was that she felt responsible, like it was her fault, too.

Now, how were they ever going to get antibiotics unless they went to a place with a hospital. With people… Bonnie shivered involuntarily. It was them against everyone. They couldn't trust anyone. They couldn't go to a hospital.

"And where can we get those?" she asked, sounding way too defeated even for her own ears, and Enzo gave her a sad smile.

"We'll figure something out, love. Let's make sure your wound is taken care off, and then I'll make my way-"

"Please don't leave me," she interjected, suddenly panicking. She didn't want to be alone. Not now.

Not ever again.

"I'll be right here," he said, touching her forehead gently, indicating her mind, "and I'll be quick. There should be a small town not too far-"

"How far?" She hated how needy she sounded. How needy she felt.

"Half a day maybe?"

He'd be gone a whole day then. A whole day alone in a freaking barn, injured and in pain. What if anyone found her? What if the troop they had encountered did?

Suddenly, she realized that they probably wouldn't. She hadn't been conscious for their escape. She didn't know what had happened. How they'd made it out. But it couldn't have been good. She was pretty sure the Silveren wouldn't just have let them leave…

She locked her gaze on Enzo's, communicating her jumbled thoughts rather than trying to put them into words. It was too difficult. She was too scared of the truth, though she needed to know. For his sake.

She couldn't let him carry that burden alone.

 _They're gone, aren't they?_

Enzo clenched his jaw, looking away. _They won't come after us…_

She didn't have the heart to ask more, but he must have felt her distraught sadness for him because he amended, "I'm a soldier, love. It's… not pretty…"

Six against one. Unarmed. He wasn't just a soldier...

"I'm sorry," she muttered, but he shook his head again.

"I'm just sorry that I can't be here for you - here _with_ you now, though I know you'll be fine. You are strong, Bonnie Bennett. Do you even have any idea how hot that is?"

She had to chuckle, though it hurt and she stopped quickly. "Right," she panted, "I'm sure especially right now, what with my pathetic whining and the blood stains on my clothes and my probably atrocious looking bird's nest of hair." She rolled her eyes, but Enzo was still smiling, this time with a little more meaning behind it, and a little more suggestiveness. He gently stroked her hair, then cupped her cheek, bending down to kiss her so softly that it was almost just a breath against her lips.

"You are beautiful, Bonnie Bennett. I knew it when I first heard you. There's something in your voice. A compassion…," he paused, "You will always be beautiful, because it's coming from within."

The atmosphere in their small shelter was strangely charged, and Bonnie licked her lips, unsure of what to say or think. Then she watched as Enzo's face broke into a somewhat mischievous looking grin and he said, "But before you'll accuse me of implying that that means your outside is indeed looking too disheveled," she gave him a light playful slap, "I'll add that you _are_ gorgeous, your hair is not a bird's nest at all, though there's no denying the blood stains-"

"I love you, Lorenzo St. John," she suddenly blurted, interrupting him, and they both fell silent, just staring at each other for a long time, before Enzo leaned down once more, and whispered into her ear,

"I love _you_."


	15. The settlement

_Thanks deenew and Jade!_

 _Jade: thank you! I'm glad you liked it then. I put a lot of additional work into the chapter to make it flow better. Same with this one. These two kinda go together, they were a major roadblock for a while there. We shall see how the rest turns out from here on out._

 _On we go..._

* * *

...

In the end, they agreed to leave together after all, using the last light of the day to guide them through the toughest part of their path.

Leaving Bonnie behind had suddenly seemed too hard, too unimaginable, though she had tried to put on a brave face and told him repeatedly that she would be fine. He knew she probably would have been. He'd told her so himself, had told her how strong she was. But he also knew that there were people out there looking for them. Donovan had surely alerted his authorities before dying. They were simply not safe so close to the site of the fight. He hadn't been able to bury the dead, either, due to the stupid frost, and their blood on the white snow was a beacon to anyone crossing there.

He closed his eyes briefly as a storm of images flashed through his mind, images he needed to try and bury deep where he'd already buried so many others before. Too many...

 _Enzo?_ Bonnie reached out and he turned around to smile at her. _He didn't leave you a choice,_ she said, sympathetically. He had tried to hide the memories from her. But of course she'd seen the picture anyway. He grimaced, wondered whether she was right, whether it was really true. That he didn't have a choice.

 _It is._

He was grateful for her, and it surprised him. Still. How he'd grown to like how close they were, how she really truly 'got him,' how she was always there. It had been so foreign at first. But now... she truly was a part of him.

"How are you holding up?" he asked her, falling back a little so that he could check on her where she lay slumped over the horse, her face lined with pain. He was still upset that he couldn't help her more there. All he could do was try to ward off his own pain as best as he could, and he worked hard on doing that, so that she wouldn't have to deal with feeling any of that on top of her own.

"Okay," she breathed, but he could tell it was a lie.

"It's not far now, love..."

They were finally approaching the town he'd mentioned earlier. It was a small independent settlement, neither on the side of the Golden nor the Silveren. They'd gotten far into the Outskirts, and the farther away from the big cities they got, the less the people out there cared about being involved in a war they didn't understand. Yet the areas had also been the worst affected by the Big Ones - built on ruins - and trying to survive there meant a hard life.

He hadn't been willing to risk Bonnie's safety by bringing her there, and he still wasn't quite sure how best to acquire the medication she'd need. But they had agreed that she would wait just a little outside of the town until he had made sure they'd be safe.

He knew he had to be quick. He couldn't leave Bonnie alone for too long, she needed his help, she needed a warm place to lay down, he was worried about detection. And infection.

He got off his horse, tethering it to a tree a little outside the settlement, and quickly put a tarp and a few blankets down on the ground. Then he gently helped Bonnie down. Mindful of her injury, he allowed her to lean heavily against him, then he carried her over to the makeshift stead and laid her down as slowly and carefully as he could. His arm was protesting as he did, but he angrily gritted his teeth and fought his way through the pain.

This needed to stop.

 _Maybe they'll have something to help you, too..._

 _We'll see. Right now it's more important that we get the antibiotics for you._

 _It's not. You-_

He sighed, not in the mood for arguing, especially not when he knew she honestly cared about him. He was just not used to it and didn't know how to deal with it, how to react _._

 _Has there really never been anyone to care about you? Your parents? A... girlfriend?_

Bonnie gave him a look that felt like she was looking straight through to his soul. It should have been uncomfortable, he should have felt put on the spot perhaps. But all he could do was marvel at how lucky he was to have a girl like her care about him.

He clenched his jaw as he tucked her in as best as he could, putting a jug of water and a box of crackers in her reaching distance to make sure she would be as comfortable as possible while he was gone.

"So... really no one?"

"Can't let it go, huh, love?"

She smiled at him, shaking her head.

He didn't look at her when he told her, "Not really. Certainly not my parents," he scoffed, "and my pretty pathetic love life isn't even worth mentioning. Got my heart broken a couple of times by being stupid. That's it. That friend I mentioned, she... she's been nice..." He clenched his jaw, remaining silent.

She touched his arm, gently, making him look at her. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "And you're not stupid, Lorenzo."

He chuckled. "Arguable, love. But thanks," he paused, scrutinizing her, the light sheen of her eyes, her flushed cheeks. She was probably developing a fever. He needed to hurry. "What about you?" He said, matter-of-factly, trying to keep her mind from dwelling on her pain. "Other than good old Damon," she grimaced at the name, "who has cared about _you_? I really hope you had more luck."

She grew wistful, and he almost regretted asking her. He gently stroked her cheek, kissing her forehead. "I'm sorry. You don't have to-"

"My parents," she whispered, tears forming in her eyes. She swallowed, then continued. "My grams. I really wish I could let her know I'm okay... It used to be Damon and Elena, yes. And you already know about my pathetic feelings for Damon."

She gave him an awkward look. "I'm over him now., I promise I don't want you to think-"

"It's okay, love, I'm not thinking anything," he muttered, but still, she seemed to think she had to explain herself.

"I really am. Though there's still... something there. Regret. For the friend I lost. For...," she trailed off, biting her lip. Anyways." She took a deep shuddering breath, holding her side as she did. "I had a few boyfriends, nothing too committed. Jeremy, Elena's brother... that one was serious. Didn't end so well."

He cocked his head. "No?"

She made a face. "He never got over his former girlfriend. It turned awkward. Eventually we just sort of drifted out of each other's lives. That one was probably the most serious I've ever gotten. And now there's you."

She smiled at him, and his heart warmed. "Am I your boyfriend then?"

Her cheeks flushed even more. "Is that too cheesy for you? Because I-"

He simply kissed her then, stopping her from saying anymore, then he finally pulled away reluctantly and got up. "Alright, _girlfriend."_ He smiled at her _._ "I gotta go. But I'll be back for you as soon as I can. I love you, Bonnie Bennett."

And off he went, alone, into the night.

* * *

...

He hated leaving her alone, but it was safer that way. He swiftly made his way down the small meandering road into the heart of the small town.

The place felt strangely deserted. He saw hints of what could have been a fight. Like the army had come through here and found resistance. His skin started prickling uncomfortably. This wasn't good…

He saw broken windows and half open doors, though some houses still seemed to be occupied. There was a large Red Cross over one larger building he could see on the horizon and he thanked his lucky stars as he went straight over there.

He stayed vigilant, checking behind him as he walked, and he had the strange feeling of being watched through the cracks in the walls, the windows, a hundred eyes following his every move. He took a deep breath. Acutely aware of the blazing feeling of pain in his left arm, he subconsciously pulled his arm closer to his body, as if they could see the sheen through his clothes.

But of course they couldn't.

Chin raised, he made his way until he finally reached the Red Cross and lightly tapped against its barred front door. He had no intention to sneak in and steal the medication. Or fight them for it, though if he had to, he would.

He stood waiting for at least five minutes, but he didn't knock again. He was sure they had heard him. And he was right. Suddenly, the heavy door creaked open a crack behind him and a face appeared.

Enzo gasped, startled. Was that really... Could the world really be that small? Or was it more than coincidence, a trap? He instantly tensed as the door was opened wider.

"Caroline Forbes," he said by way of greeting, "I'll be damned. I definitely did not expect to see _you_ here. As if you knew I was looking for you..." He grinned widely and saluted her.

"Enzo?" She sounded careful, a question in her tone. "They said you're dead." A statement, dry and without emotion.

He raised his eyebrows briefly. That wasn't surprising. Claiming he was dead surely was the council's safest way of dealing with his disappearance. They had no way of knowing what had happened to him, and they would certainly not allow the masses to even entertain the idea that he was alive but hadn't reported back. A potentially deserted or gone rogue Eternal, or worse, a traitor, that was unheard of.

"Yeah, well," he allowed, "I'm not." He lifted his arms away from his body as if to show her he was real.

She squinted at him, then suddenly broke into a bright smile and gave him a warm hug. "You stupid idiot! I was worried about you. Your father-"

He grimaced, raising a hand to stop her. He didn't want to hear it.

"Why are you here, Caroline? Is this town occupied by the army now?"

She seemed to think, wagering what to tell him.

"I'm not here on any orders," he said quietly, trying to make her feel safe. "In fact, I'm merely here to ask for some antibiotics for a friend."

"A friend?" She was still scrutinizing him. "I guess we both have a story to tell then. Why don't you start?"

He sighed, annoyed, though he couldn't blame her. "I hope you understand that I can't until I know more about this place. Whether there's more soldiers here, whether it's part of an operation."

"Then I'm sure _you_ understand I can't give you the medicine before I know who and what it is for…"

"Catch 22," he said, grinning. He hung his head for a moment, contemplating. He'd told Bonnie about her, had told her how much he trusted her. Should he, though?

Did he have a choice?

"Can I come in?"

Caroline cocked her head, blonde hair falling around her face. With a sigh, she eventually opened the door wider, nodding inside.

When he stepped in, he suddenly saw a group of people staring back at him, and he was almost ready to balk and run straight back out. But something kept him.

"Who are your friends?"

"Who is _your_ friend?"

They stared at each other for a long moment, Enzo acutely aware of the people watching them intently. He counted them, quickly assessing his chances. If he had to fight them, could he do it? There were eight of them, Caroline included, most of them young and strong looking, though he noticed that two of them were injured.

He might be able to take them on, but he hoped he wouldn't have to.

"Alright, fine. Don't make me regret this, Caroline. I'm trusting you with nothing less than my pathetic life, and that of my… friend."

She didn't say anything, though she gave him a compassionate look.

"If you haven't already heard about it anyway: I was captured. But I got out. With the help of said friend. She got hurt. She needs antibiotics." No need to use too many words. Or mention the bond.

"So she's a Golden?!" Caroline raised an eyebrow, but it was hard to say what she was thinking. Her features softened. "That friend," she whispered knowingly, "does she know you love her?"

He almost clenched his teeth, almost blinked, but he caught himself quickly. She knew him too well. "Do you _have_ what I came here for?"

She gave a slow nod. "Fine. Because we are old friends. Promise we you won't bring her here, though. Promise me you'll stay away."

She hadn't even told him yet what she was doing there, what they all were doing. "What's going on here, Care? What kind of mission-"

"No mission. We…," she gave a weary sigh. Enzo saw a lean, very tall man stand up in the back, and walk toward them. He was dark, very dark, not a hair on his bald head. Enzo had never seen him before, though he had a sudden sense of familiarity, almost as if the man was…

"You're an Eternal," he stated, his words not much more than a hiss. There was a chance here, he didn't dare think it.

 _Do you think you could get a bandage from him?_

He closed his eyes briefly, feeling Bonnie's sudden soothing presence. _I don't know. He should have one…_ he allowed. Then he stared back at the other man, guarded.

"So are you," the man said, his voice a somber baritone.

Enzo wasn't sure what it meant, but suddenly, the man laid an arm around Caroline, very familiar, and whispered something into her ear. So quiet Enzo couldn't catch it.

"I trust him," she was replying, and Enzo couldn't help smirking triumphantly at the other man.

"Cole here thinks I shouldn't tell you, because of who you are."

Enzo almost choked on a laugh. "Well, tell dear Cole here that I'm the best man to tell anything that you wouldn't want my father to know…"

Caroline rolled her eyes at him, but still, she told her companion, "He's right. Give us a minute?"

Cole nodded, reluctantly, then slowly walked back to the others.

"So, you're in love with _him_ then, I take it?"

"That a problem?" Caroline challenged, but Enzo merely smiled.

"Actually, I'm happy for you. Finally someone that looks like he can hold a candle to you."

"Thanks?" Caroline stared at him, a grin forming on her face.

Then they finally broke into a chuckle, before Enzo sobered first and told her, "You don't need to tell me. Just this: do I need to worry that any of you will follow me?"

She shook her head, no. "We're not following anyone anymore, Enzo," she said pointedly, and he suddenly understood. Deserters…

He raised his chin, taking her in, her little group. The settlement.

"What happened here?"

She bit her lip, averting her gaze. "You don't want to know."

"There's a lot I don't want to know. But I need to."

She stared at Enzo, her eyes full of a profound sadness he'd never seen there before. "He didn't care that you hadn't come back with the needed intel. Sent us out to fight anyway. I've never seen so many people die, Enzo..." Tears were welling in her eyes, and he felt a terrible ache in his heart. "When it was over, a group of us... we were just done. We have no business being out here. It's too cold, the land has been either neutral or in Golden hand forever. It's not strategically important. It doesn't even directly border on our territory. He just wanted it so he could let it go to waste, because he and that Golden General have a history. He did not care about the people living here. Or about us, his soldiers. His very own people. He just sent us to slaughter."

She paused, looking at him as if she expected him to challenge her. But he had no such intention. He only felt responsible because his capture had probably made this happen. At the very least, it had made it happen sooner rather than later. He clenched and unclenched his jaw, suddenly feeling sick. His arm was pulsing with pain, and it got harder to ignore it. He needed to get going.

"I'm so sorry, Care," he muttered.

"That's not all." She grimaced. "That group... our group, we left. Deserted - though I hate that word... We came to this town. Asked whether we could stay. And they let us. Some of us had been responsible for what had happened here, some of their people had gotten killed. And they still took us in. Because they know better." Her voice broke. She swallowed hard, before she could continue. "War sucks, Enzo. Please don't bring it back here..."

 _Ask her,_ Bonnie suddenly said, a non-sequitur that jolted him out of his thoughts, and for a moment, he wasn't quite sure what she meant. _We can't just hide, Enzo. Not forever._

 _Why not._

 _Because it's not just about us… Caroline just said it. There's others involved. Others like us, that are on nobody's side..._

He sniffed, running a hand through his hair. _I don't know._

 _We could use some help. You said so yourself. She was supposed to help with your…_ our _problem, remember? You need something for your arm. We need to stop it._

Of course Bonnie was right. But he was terrified of endangering her. Of losing her.

 _You won't,_ she said, still so much stronger than him. All he wanted was to be back with her, make sure she got the medicine and then ride into the freaking sunset with her, leaving the war and the cold forever behind.

 _We'll do that,_ she agreed, _one day, we will._

He nodded, as if to her, then looked straight at Caroline again.

"She says she's willing to join you," he began, the words bitter and heavy in his mouth, " _we_ are willing. We want to help keep these people safe..."

He hated acknowledging the bond, hated to bring Bonnie up.

 _You have to. It's alright.._.

He closed his eyes, then opened them again, gaze locking on Caroline's.

"Can't believe it's really true," she was saying, half smiling. Incredulous. "You, of all people. His son, and an Eternal. You're bonded..."

He grimaced, his eyes flickering unhappily.

"Who is she, then?"

"You'll meet her soon enough," he evaded, sighing, "There's one problem, though..."

"You mean, 'another' problem? Like we don't have enough of those already?" She grinned, but stopped quickly when she saw his dark expression. "What is it?" she whispered, wary. Worried.

He took his coat off in answer. Showing would work better than trying to tell her, even though he wished he could just hide it away forever. Caroline frowned as he proceeded to slowly roll his sleeve up as far as it would go. Then her eyes widened in shock. "Oh Enzo," she hissed, and he could only smile sadly, distinctly aware of the gasps among the people in the back that made him feel even more uncomfortable.

 _I'm sorry. I wish I could be there,_ he heard Bonnie say, feeling her compassion, and he clenched his jaw.

 _Me too. I like it better when_ you _look at me like I'm a piece of meat. These guys, though. Eh..._

He felt her amusement, just felt _her_. And it made everything a little more bearable.

Just a little...

* * *

...

 _Yeah, I'm still not happy with this one. Something is just... not quite working. Anyways. I hope it's not too bad. At least it propels the story forward some more?_

 _I was kinda thinking of the actor Mahershala Ali when writing Cole, but feel free to picture him any way you'd like. :)_


	16. Red Cross

_Thanks Jade, thanks deenew!_

 _Jade: lol, no. Sorry, there won't be any Caroline with Stefan in this story. I kinda wanted her with someone entirely different for once. Glad you liked the first bit with Enzo and Bonnie . I was wondering whether it felt too forced._

* * *

...

Bonnie had hated staying behind, waiting. Being in pain. She'd hated that she couldn't see the settlement with her own eyes and gauge the situation at the Red Cross.

She'd hated realizing just how awkward Enzo had felt about all these people knowing about his arm.

And yet. When Enzo finally came back and relayed how Caroline had told him to bring her over to the medical building, Bonnie was suddenly terrified.

They were all his people. Her enemies. The only Silveren she'd met until that moment was Enzo, and the monsters that had killed her parents, after all. She just wasn't ready!

"It'll be alright, love. I told you we can trust Caroline. And you _need_ medical attention."

She huffed, clinging to him as he helped her sit up a bit to swallow the first dose of antibiotics with some water.

"We got the medicine. I'll be fine." She looked at him, the moment he'd come back to her still replaying in her mind.

She hadn't realized just how tense and worried she had been until she'd seen him on the horizon, walking toward her, almost running. A dark figure against the snow, the pale light of the moon illuminating the scene ever so slightly, just enough for her to know it was him.

Her heart had skipped a beat, her breath had hitched, and she'd felt so ridiculously in love that she had smiled to herself till her cheeks had started hurting.

Now he was sitting with her, his body against hers, and it was as if he'd never been away from her.

 _I haven't…_ He smiled, kissing the top of her head. It was strange, how something like the bond had grown on both of them so much. How it had changed in just a few weeks. They had hated it at first, they hadn't had a choice in the matter. They had been made a couple of sorts by fate or whatever strange powers there were out there. But they had learned to live with it, and more.

They had fallen in love, not so much because of the bond but despite of it. They had become a real couple. By choice.

Part of her still couldn't believe it.

"We should get going…" Enzo gave her a look, a hand against her neck, a thumb caressing her pulsing vein.

Bonnie frowned at him, still unsure. Still worried. Where had her earlier confidence gone? "Maybe you were right," she told him. "Maybe we should just leave. We got the medicine. You got a bandage from that guy, Cole, right?" He smiled at her mildly, knowingly. Of course he could see right through her, and she sighed, a small smile forming on her features, too.

As she gently touched the sleeve of his weapon-arm, peeking underneath to get a glimpse of the shiny fabric of the bandage, she quietly continued, "Hopefully this will help push back your… infection, or whatever it is. And if it's not a cure, we'll go find someone who can help us. Somewhere else..."

He shook his head, a strange mixture of sadness and… hope in his features that gave her pause. "We can't just leave, love. You need more than just medicine. You need rest, a real bed."

"You didn't get any of that-"

"I'm… different than you are. This," he moved his arm a little to show her what he meant, "mostly makes my life freaking hard and painful. But it does help with resilience, too."

She nodded, believing him instantly. Any other person would have probably long succumbed completely and keeled over. She sure would have… Still, she didn't want to hear it now. Not when she was trying to hold on to what she had with him, a quiet peaceful time with just the two of them. She wanted that. She didn't want other people.

He swiped a strand of her hair back, then extended a hand gallantly as if asking her to the ball. "Come, love. Let's get you over there…"

She pressed her lips together, not happy at all.

"In case it wasn't obvious, I really had a change of heart," she pouted, and he smiled at her.

"I know. And I wish we could just do that: stay away from any other people, just you and me, far away from the freaking war, and all the drama out there. But-"

"Why does there always have to be a 'but?'" She stifled a moan as Enzo gently helped her stand, and she sunk against him, needing his support to even stay standing. "This sucks," she muttered, allowing him to pick her up and carry her to the horse. "Fine, I get it. _I_ was the one suggesting it first so I gotta stick with it now, huh?"

"You were right, Bonnie Bennett. Right and smart. We can't just ignore the world out there. There are more people out there that are tired of the war. We can't just stick our heads in the," he looked around, rolling his eyes, "snow. Freaking snow… How I hate it…"

He earned himself a chuckle that Bonnie immediately regretted because it aggravated her injury. She grimaced unhappily. "Not even laughing is fun anymore," she huffed, and he gave her an unexpected kiss.

"We'll make it fun again. Hopefully sooner rather than later. - I don't know for how long I can keep my hands off of you, love. Self-restraint is not my strong suit..."

She raised her eyebrows. "Is that so, Mr. St. John?"

He smirked at her suggestively, then quickly put their things together and untethered their horses.

The night was still long and Bonnie felt her anticipation and anxiety rise at equal level. A bed would be nice, somewhere warmer would be amazing - not just for her… And sleeping somewhere where they might have potential allies would make for a more relaxed night.

If they could really trust those people…

* * *

…

They got to leave their horses in a nearby barn, a detail that made Bonnie slightly nervous. What if they needed to flee again? Would they get to them in time?

But there was no time for her to dwell on those thoughts as they had to make their way over to a building with a large Red Cross above it that Enzo had mentioned to her before.

She'd finally meet his friend… She bit the inside of her cheek, trying to not let jealousy get the better of her, and she noticed Enzo's eyes on her as she did.

"What?" she asked, defiance in her tone, as if he had challenged her, but he merely smiled at her, then pulled her closer, carefully avoiding her injury.

"I told you before, Caroline is just an old friend. No need for jealousy. She's not my Damon," he added, grinning wider and she slapped him lightly, slightly annoyed. She couldn't help it. Though he had a point.

"I'm over that," she mumbled and felt him kiss her temple.

"I'm just teasing, love."

Bonnie made a face, but if she was being honest, she liked the way he played with her, joked with her. She'd never really had that before, the strange intimacy that came with their banter; it was a welcome surprise.

They had almost reached the dark building with its barely lit windows, when they saw two silhouettes approach them from further down the road. Bonnie felt Enzo stop and tense, putting a protective arm around her, and she froze, too.

"Enzo?" It was a light female voice, and Bonnie felt Enzo breathe easier again. _Caroline_ , he let her know, then they continued walking over toward the cross, meeting the other two people half way.

"Caroline, meet Bonnie. Bonnie, this is my old friend Caroline."

"Old?" the blond girl was saying, slapping Enzo's shoulder playfully, grinning wide at him, then Bonnie. Her expression softened into a warm smile, and Bonnie was surprised by how much she liked the other girl without even knowing her. But she was Enzo's friend, and she guessed that counted for something. Especially since he didn't seem to have many people in his life.

She extended an arm just as Caroline did and they shook hands, before Caroline leaned forward and unexpectedly gave Bonnie a light hug.

"I can't believe Lorenzo St. John finally found himself a girl - and then such a sweetheart. Or I guess," she added, winking at Bonnie, "You found him…"

"Or it was fate…" Bonnie said, grinning. She felt a little awkward, but had to smile anyway. It was strange, there was a familiarity about Caroline, almost as if, in a different world, the two of them could have been best friends.

The blonde beamed. "To fate then! - But now let's get you inside. I just went to get Jo here," she pointed, finally introducing her quiet companion, a frumpily dressed woman with dark hair poking out from under a hood, "She's our doc."

"Not really," the woman grumbled, "war prevented me from finishing my degree. But I guess I'm as good as it's gonna get…"

Enzo and Bonnie exchanged a glance, then, when Caroline chirped up with a way too happy sounding "Shall we?", they followed her over and into the house. Bonnie felt like her legs were about to give out, but she clung onto Enzo as hard as she could and when he gave her a concerned look, she tried smiling bravely. She didn't want him to feel like he had to carry her again. She knew the strain on his arm had been tough in the past. Even with the new bandage, she still didn't want him to overexert himself yet again.

When the door opened and Caroline walked in before them, holding it open, Bonnie had to blink against the light, even though it was probably quite dim. - Not if you had just spent hours in the dark of night, however.

"Bring her over here," Caroline was saying, pointing over to a small row of beds toward the back of the far wall in a narrow and long looking room to their side.

Enzo nodded and waited for Bonnie to continue walking, but she could only stand and stare at the small group of people sitting across from her, all huddled together and staring back at her. Subconsciously, she pressed a hand against her smarting side, then she felt Enzo's gentle tug.

"You alright, love?"

"I…" She faltered, not sure anymore. Was she alright?

Who were those people? She saw the dark tall man among them, the one Enzo had described as Caroline's boyfriend. The one who had given him a bandage, in a strange moment of sympathy perhaps? Or had he had something in mind when he'd given his fellow Eternal the long piece of fabric?

Bonnie closed her eyes, the world suddenly spinning. She wasn't sure of anything anymore. She suspected everyone of harboring their own dark motives. Especially an Eternal.

Unbidden, the memory of her parents' slayer surfaced once more, the image of the dark and monstrous looking man seeming like a caricature to her now. Had he really looked like that?

Enzo and the dark one - Cole - were so handsome, normal…

"Bonnie?"

She heard his voice as if through molasses. She wanted to say something, convey something, but she couldn't. Her brain felt stuffy and sticky. Sluggish.

 _Are we really save here?_ She tried asking, but she wasn't sure whether it was just in her head, whether she'd communicated through her barriers or not.

* * *

…

Enzo had tried saying her name again, worry marring his features. He had tightened his grip on her, ignoring whatever Caroline was saying to him. Or that woman, the doc.

"Bonnie?" he repeated just as she suddenly gave a small moan and collapsed right in his arms, and he berated himself for not having picked her up minutes ago. For even having allowed her to walk on her own, stubborn little Golden that she was.

"In here," the doc - Jo - was saying as he carefully carried her into the dark room and he closed his eyes briefly as a light was turned on in there and more people walked into the room, trying to help. He was unwilling to let her go, but when Jo's soft warm face appeared right in front of his and her earlier grumpy grumble was suddenly replaced by a warm smile and calming low tone, he did as she told him. He laid Bonnie down on one of the beds, but he wasn't going to leave her side. Clutching her hand and not caring how needy and pathetic that potentially looked to outsiders, he waited standing by her head, and nobody dared asking him to leave or make room.

He watched as Jo carefully and methodically undressed Bonnie enough to get a good look at her wound, giving orders left and right as she did.

Someone brought over a bucket full of hot water, another one a big satchel that made Enzo's stomach revolt because it looked too much like Donovan's. Without thinking, he suddenly grabbed the doctor's arm, hard, making the woman look up at him, startled and angry.

"What are you doing? I'm here to help-"

"What's in that… bag?" The words came out as a hiss, urgent, dark. He didn't back down. And neither did she. For a long moment, their gazes locked on each other, neither of them flickering. When Caroline suddenly put her hand on his shoulder, he flinched at her touch involuntarily, but still didn't avert his eyes.

She was quick to take her hand away, but said, "She's a friend, Lorenzo. Her things are in there."

"My instruments," Jo explained, "scalpel, stethoscope…. antiseptics, saline solution, medication…" She sounded level, calm. She shot a glance at Caroline who shrugged at her, eyebrows raised apologetically. "Let me help your girlfriend."

"Enzo, please?" Caroline whispered, and something shifted in him. He took a breath, still staring at the doctor, gauging her.

"I don't know what you've… experienced," Jo said pointedly, touching a nerve, "but I am here to help people. I don't hurt them purposely. I am here to help her."

And finally, Enzo closed his eyes and let go, allowing her to continue her work. He was still holding onto Bonnie's hand, but he stepped aside a little more, rubbing the back of his hand over his forehead, tired and exhausted. "I'm sorry," he muttered, seeing Caroline give him a concerned look as he raised his head again.

"What have they done to you, Enzo?" She whispered, but the darkness in his eyes would have to be answer enough for he wasn't going to divulge the horrors of the past. There were just too many. And the Golden torture really just was the cherry on top.

* * *

…

Jo had examined, then cleaned Bonnie's shot wound thoroughly, even administering a few stitches to keep it neat. She had put a patch of gauze over it and bandaged it all up tight, making sure it would stay dry and clean, hoping to kill off the beginnings of an infection Bonnie had shown.

"She'll be fine," she was now telling Enzo, whom Caroline had finally been able to persuade to sit down on the bed right next to his girl.

"You should lay down, too," Jo said, smiling, earning herself an eye roll. "Unless you'd allow me to have a look at you first. I take it you got injured too," she added, giving him a knowing look.

"I'm good. Thanks," he deflected, rubbing his eyes, feeling like he would soon collapse from exhaustion himself.

"You know… I've dealt with Eternals before." Jo smirked, pointing over to where Caroline had retreated to sit with the others. With Cole. "He's just _one_ of them. You guys pass through here a lot. And you get injured a lot…"

He grimaced. He tried to keep his eyes open, to keep pretending, but he was so tired.

Suddenly, the woman's expression sobered, and she leaned in a little more. "To be quite honest," she began, almost wistfully, "all of us out here have once come from one side or the other. Golden, Silveren… Often decades ago, that's how long the world has been screwed up." She exhaled deeply, staring right through him, and he had a strange sense of foreboding even before she continued. "I'm… the reason I came out here," she chuckled unhappily, "was to get away from the Eternals and the weapons and…"

"Didn't work out so well then, huh?" he interjected, mostly because he felt like he had to say something. Anything. He just wanted her to go away. And he really wanted to give in to the exhaustion and rest his eyes for a minute. Just a minute… If only she would stop talking.

"I've done this," she indicated his arm, her fingers hovering over it almost tenderly, and his guard went back up immediately, alarm making his senses return to being alert as he pulled his arm closer, away from her. Her eyes wandered up to his face, intense eyes with a weird glow to them, and he frowned at her, wary.

"It's why I came here. Why I didn't finish my studies. Gruesome work, as of course you know better than anyone... I ran to get away from it. Didn't want to do it anymore..."

"You..." He was too shocked to get the words out. She had been that kind of "doctor?"

She huffed, slowly getting up. "I'm sorry, I don't know why I'm telling you this. Maybe so that you'll know I'm being sincere. I've hurt people like you on orders, and I won't ever hurt anyone willingly again. Friend or foe, I don't care. I'm sure I've scared you off enough with this awkward confession, but if you'd still let me, I could just take a quick look. I promise I won't do anything else. Just see what's going on. The… blaze is spreading, no?"

Freaking Caroline. He clenched his teeth, anger growing. She must have told the doc.

As if the woman had read his mind, she smiled at him mildly. "Don't worry, it's not that obvious. I just… happen to know a thing or two about these things, obviously. Started out in the Department, and as reluctant as I am to admit it, I administered a fair amount of these wounds on the arms of people just like you. But then…," she trailed off, leaving it at that, and somehow, Enzo didn't have the strength to ask her to continue. He didn't want to know. He just didn't want to be reminded.

"Jo?"

They both turned their heads toward the door, where Caroline's head had appeared in the crack, a worried frown on her face. "Can you come out here for a minute?"

The woman nodded, slowly preparing to leave.

"Lorenzo here was going to try and lay down anyway. Right?" she said, and Caroline raised an eyebrow.

"Really? And did he let you check on him?"

The doctor shook her head and Caroline nodded simultaneously. She had already known the answer. "He's stubborn," she acknowledged, "let's give him some time. But come morning," she turned her attention to Enzo," you _will_ let her check on you. Alright?"

Enzo gave a half nod, though he had no such intention. They all knew that, too.

Jo got up, checking on Bonnie one last time, gently laying a hand on her forehead, then, finally, the two women left them both alone, and Enzo waited in the dark a little while longer, watching Bonnie breathe until the pull of sleep got too strong and he felt himself succumb.

He fought the spiral dragging him into unconsciousness, but it got harder and harder, and he simply couldn't do it anymore. So he let go of Bonnie's hand and let himself sink down on the bed right next to her, as suddenly a wall seemed to open up in his exhausted brain and a flood of images and feelings spilled over that were so foreign and so powerful that he couldn't seem to begin to process them, had to let them wash over him, drown him.

Bonnie's.

That couldn't be good, he thought, before he couldn't think anymore.


	17. Baby baby baby

_Thanks to everyone reading. Special thanks to deenew._

 _deenew: there's something starting here that you've foreseen a while back... :)_

 _Also, fair warning: this is a somewhat weird chapter._

* * *

...

* * *

...

It was hot. Stiflingly so. She'd forever remember how the sweat of fear and heat mixed as she was laying on her stomach under the porch, waiting, waiting.

She was trying so hard to be quiet, to be invisible, but her heart was beating too fast in her chest, and she could hear it in her ears as loud as if it was outside of her.

"Please. We are just farmers now. We are not fighting in this war anymore, on any side. We just want to live quietly and peacefully…"

Her father's voice broke off abruptly, and she heard a squelching noise and a scream. Two. One was her mother, one her father.

She saw blazing silvery light erupt on his body where the large Eternal had sunk the weapon into him from behind, his back splitting open so easily it was almost surreal.

"Is there anyone else here?" Someone was saying, and Bonnie was biting into her hand so hard that she tasted the copper of her blood and the dirt she had crawled through to get down where she was hiding.

Later, she would sometimes feel like a coward for having hidden, for not having tried to intervene. For not having done anything against those Silveren soldiers. Although deep down, of course, she knew she would have died if she had.

Right then, in the moment, however, all she felt was an all encompassing terror that wouldn't even let her think.

She saw the Eternal drag her father away, back up to the house. "Want to take a look?" He snarled at her mom, and she heard someone shove her mother down, heard the whimpers coming from her.

Caught her eye as she was looking up and her mother looking down through the planks of the porch. It was just a second. A smile. A strange alien expression on her mom's face, half insane with pain and terror, but also so full of love and… relief.

Her daughter had not been detected. They wouldn't find her. They wouldn't.

…

The terror stayed with her for so long. It took forever until she was able to go outside again.

For a long time there was just Grams, and Damon, taking care of her, as she stared blankly out the window at her grandmother's place.

The terror dissipated eventually. During the day. To return at night.

She would forever return to her hideout under the porch, would forever see her dad's blood dripping through the cracks. The pain in her hand, nothing compared to that of her parents…

…

Her mom's eyes suddenly dulled, the life seeping out of them as someone started beating her, just beating and beating and beating, until the dry sounds took on a wet quality, until her blood dropped down on her daughter, too.

It was too much. No one should ever have to see that. No one could ever live through that.

But she did. She had.

So much pain…

She wasn't sure it was her own. Whether it was in her body or her mind.

There was the Pond, too, and the rain.

Bloodied fingertips. Always pain.

Always always pain and terror and…

Fear.

* * *

…

"This is not good."

Jo glared at Caroline as if any of this was her fault, which of course it wasn't. Caroline crossed her arms defensively, huffing out in exasperation before worry took over again.

She was leaning against the door post, looking into the room, watching as Jo gently laid Enzo's arm back down after having examined it.

"Have you seen something like this before?" the doctor asked, now looking to Cole, who had appeared next to Caroline, his warm comforting hand on her shoulder. She looked up to him, waving a hand over Enzo's arm and Cole replied with a jerk of his head.

"Not to that extent," he muttered, "I've seen it spread to a little above here," he gestured, indicating an imaginary line right across the biceps, and Jo nodded at him absently.

"And it went away?"

"Eventually. Poor guy had to carry his weapon 24/7 for a long time, but yeah..." He trailed off.

"Really not good, then." Jo pressed her lips together, and Caroline shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other. If the one person she knew that had real experience with Eternal weapons and wounds and the whole weird magic behind it thought this was not good, it was definitely bad.

"It didn't look like that when he showed us yesterday," she said, her voice sounding like a croak, and she grimaced.

"Well, seeing as his bond-partner is fighting with a growing infection, I'd wager a daring guess and say the two are correlated."

Caroline rolled her eyes at the other woman's tone, but didn't say anything when she felt Cole's breath against her ear. "She's worried. Out of her element," he muttered. She knew it was true.

She was acutely aware that Cole had known Josephine in a former life. Way back when she had turned him into what he now was and would forever remain.

Caroline tried to focus back on the here and now. "Can we do anything for either of them?" she asked.

Jo had turned her back to Enzo by then and was busy checking Bonnie's temperature, then began redressing her wound. From where she stood, Caroline could see an angry red line around it and she grimaced as if she, too, could feel the pain from it.

"I'm trying my best to get this infection to go down again. The antibiotics should hopefully be kicking in soon. I can't do much else other than keep the wound clean and the drugs coming." She sighed. "It's probably best that the poor girl is still out. But what worries me is their connection and the fact that I can't be sure who is causing who's unconsciousness here."

"So we can just wait and hope for the best now?" Caroline didn't like that prospect at all. When she had allowed Enzo to bring his Golden girlfriend over, she'd hoped to win them over and reinforce their defenses.

Instead, he and Bonnie were taking over a lot of Jo's time now, and they were no help at all.

But who was she kidding. She was worried about him. And even about the poor girl that she barely knew. If Enzo liked her, then she was good for him. And he needed something good. Something he had never had.

"I could let him carry my weapon whenever I can spare it," Cole suddenly suggested, making Caroline look at him. He returned her gaze, trying to smile. "I only need it for when we do our rounds, and to... recharge," he stressed the word awkwardly, "every once in a while."

But Jo shook her head. "Like you said, anything other than 24/7 is probably not gonna begin to cut it, anyways. And I'd rather not have to deal with two of you in such a state."

"You sure? I don't foresee us just finding a weapon for him that quickly..."

Jo and now Cole exchanged a glance that Caroline watched with renewed worry. She'd have to try and find one. Somehow...

She bit her lip, then pushed herself off the doorpost. "Let me know if I can do anything," he said, making up her mind, "Until then, Cole and I will go check the perimeter. Whoever these two ran into, they may be coming looking for them…"

With that, she nodded to Cole and he followed her out, leaving the doc to deal with her patients.

* * *

…

His mind was overrun.

It was too much too much too much too...

No space for his own thoughts, memories just spilled over and out and away, then came back at him with such force that it felt like he was reliving them all at the same time.

But not just his own.

Hers too. Always hers, too.

"I want it done. He doesn't deserve different treatment just because he is my son."

"Sir, but you _are_ treating him differently if you let me incise his arm right now. He's not of the right age yet, not ready, and, need I remind you that he's not-"

"It'll be a symbol. _He_ will be a symbol…"

I don't want to be a fucking symbol. I don't want this I don't want this. I don't...

 _Stop_!

...

"You don't know what you're talking about, Bonnie." A warm sad voice. Defeated. Tired. "All we ever wanted was for you to live in peace. Away from the craziness. The Outskirts are your home. Our home. Farming is not such a bad-"

"You're wasting your bond communicating about crops and rain and and… when you could be out there, helping them _end_ that war that you pretend to be so weary of."

"You'll understand it when you have your own kids, Bonnie…"

"Who says I want to ever have any?! In a world like this?! You shouldn't have had me either. I don't want any part of it. I don't want to shrivel away on a farm, I want to be out there! Doing something of importance-"

" _Enough_!" A booming voice. Loud, cold and terrifying.

Terror. Panic. This was not her father.

It was _his_ …

* * *

…

"Come on, Bonnie. Open your eyes. Just a little bit. I know you're in there." A pause. "He loves you, you know? I could see it in his whole demeanor. In his eyes especially, though. He always looked so sad before. Shut off from everyone. Everything. But with you… He's different." She thought for a moment. "He's also difficult." She chuckled, gently taking Bonnie's hand in hers. She paused for a long moment, just holding it.

"You are so good for him, Bonnie Bennett. I hope he is good for you, too." She sighed, sadness overtaking her again. "I wish we could send someone for you. Your parents, friends…"

Caroline fell silent, unsure of what else to say. She wasn't sure how much - if anything - the girl heard, so she wasn't sure what all she could divulge. She had kept it vague, only talking about what she knew she could say to anyone. Not like she had all that much to say anyways. So she had mostly talked about herself. No harm in that, right?

It had been five full days, almost a week, and neither Enzo nor Bonnie had woken up from their strange sleep or unconsciousness or whatever it was.

There had been a dip, once, a dangerously spiking fever on Bonnie's part, and for a moment there they had all thought they'd lose them both, but then the fever had broken - Jo had shoved Bonnie into the snow outside for as long as she felt she could tolerate it - and it had finally all gone uphill from there.

The infection had let up. Bonnie was doing better and better. Still, something kept her from waking up and it was dawning on them all that it was Enzo.

She might have been the one to pull them both under, but he was the one keeping them there.

If only they could somehow get one of them - both of them - to wake up.

"Wake up, Bonnie. Please! We could really use some help." Caroline sighed, shooting for complete honesty. "Jo says you may be pregnant. - And there's people coming, we think they're coming for you. And they will be here soon."

* * *

…

Hitting. Kicking. Something long. Like a whip. A… riding crop.

A back splitting open (whose?)

Skin coming apart. Blood.

Blazing blazing light; and pain.

Always that.

Her father. His.

A silvery oozing wound. Whose?

Terror terror terror. Always more pain.

Then… suddenly, startlingly love.

And a baby. A baby. A baby…?

* * *

…

Bonnie gasped, a small sound, shuddering. Slowly, she opened her eyes. Her vision was clear.

So clear.

She tried to sit up abruptly, suddenly feeling a gentle but insistent hand keep her from doing so.

"Hey there."

Caroline beamed at her with such genuine warmth that, for a moment, Bonnie was sure she'd always known her.

A friend.

Her friend.

Then she remembered, and with a jerk of her head, she looked to the side, to him. "Enzo…," she breathed, her voice dark and dreamy from lack of use, and she felt her heart brim over with so much love that she almost started crying.

How had that feeling survived in her after everything? How was she still capable of this?

But it didn't matter. All that mattered was that she loved him.

"Is he… alright? What happened to him?"

"You, I'm afraid," Caroline whispered. Her face was scrunched up, tears in her eyes, but she was smiling.

Bonnie tried to sit up, slower this time , but the other girl still held her back.

"Let Jo check on you first. Take it easy."

"I need to check on him!" Bonnie's voice broke, but she fought the blonde anyways, earning her a frown and a shake of the head.

"He'll hopefully wake up soon, too, okay? If - and that's a big if - you manage to slow down a bit and take. Your. Time."

Finally Bonnie got the message. She gave a small unhappy nod, feeling Caroline's soothing hand on her arm, then sweeping her hair to the side.

"I'm so glad you're back," she said. "Which probably sounds ridiculous to you, because you don't even know me but-"

"You two went to the academy together. He was your only friend," Bonnie whispered, nodding, seeing shock flicker in the other girl's eyes.

"How much else have you heard?"

Bonnie smiled absently. She looked to the side again, to Enzo, and extended her arm until she could reach him, if barely. Her finger merely grazed his hand, but it was enough. She felt instantly calmer.

"I think I know you pretty well now, Caroline Forbes," she muttered, smiling. Then she closed her eyes briefly, opening them to face Enzo. All those feelings, all that love...

 _It's time to wake up, my love. Please, come back to me. Come back. I need you._

 _..._

A baby...


	18. Old One

_Thanks Jade, and deenew! So grateful for the feedback. Makes me feel like I'm not completely alone. lol_

 _Jade: well, you're right. Stefan is also with the "outsiders," only in a different settlement. The Outskirts are vast. lol. Who knows, though, we might run into him again. - And things will get better for them..._

 _Glad the chapter with the dreams wasn't too jarring there._

 _deenew: lol, yeah, sorry. It was weird, but I'm glad not that "bad." :)_

* * *

...

She hadn't noticed it at first. But when Jo had come and checked on her, allowing her to slowly sit up, Bonnie's eyes fell on the… thing. Her eyes widened in shock, in dismay. She couldn't help it. Even though it was him, and she knew that it was, she was suddenly panicky again.

Not because she was scared of him, but because of that sword-like protrusion on his arm.

"We had to try everything to get it to stop spreading," Caroline explained in a small hushed voice, when she saw Bonnie's shocked expression, and Bonnie gave her a blank look, not yet comprehending. "The sheen?" Caroline reminded her.

"But… how bad is it." Bonnie swallowed, the question coming out as a statement. As if she knew it was gonna be bad.

The pain…

"Well, it hasn't spread any further in the last few days." Caroline piped up, sounding more hopeful than Bonnie felt. She touched his other arm, his face, concerned about his troubled expression even in unconsciousness.

 _Wake up, Enzo…_

"How far did it spread before…" she didn't dare complete her question, but she didn't have to. It was Jo that answered.

"Up, over his shoulder, you can see it a little right… here." She pulled down the collar of his shirt and she saw silvery tendrils, barely visible but there, sneak up the left side of his neck.

Bonnie covered her mouth, worrying her lip behind her fingers. Oh no, Enzo…

"What can we do?"

"We _are_ doing it." To Jo it was a matter-of-fact type treatment, giving the soldier access to an Eternal Weapon. She looked at Bonnie with a mere shrug. But to the young Golden, who had no clue about anything concerning the intricacies of life as an Eternal, it seemed like an atrocious thing to do. She gave Jo a disapproving glare, then shook her head.

"This?" she said. "This is all we can do? Force him to hold the thing he hates so much?"

"You're assuming he wouldn't want this-"

Bonnie interrupted Jo angrily, lifting a hand briefly to cut her off. "I'm not assuming anything. I _know_." She looked over to Caroline, expecting her to back her up on this, and the blonde briefly nodded, then looked down, pretending to inspect the ground.

Bonnie raised her eyebrows. "And you still let it happen."

Caroline swallowed. "We needed to do _something_ , Bonnie. You two-"

Bonnie shook her head. "There's gotta be something else, though. Something better. I don't know…," she was looking for words, trying to think. But it was hard when she was so exasperated on Enzo's behalf. What the hell had that doctor - had his friend, or even that other Eternal - been thinking? Shouldn't they all know better than to bring that symbol of death and pain anywhere near the people of the settlement, if not Enzo? "What about the bandage? I thought your… your boyfriend," she was looking at Caroline, making the other girl press her lips together, "I thought he gave Enzo his spare."

"He did. But it's just not the same…" Caroline trailed off, hanging her shoulders. "I'm sorry…"

Jo came to her aid, taking over before Bonnie's annoyed huff could turn into a tirade of friendship and duties, and she walked a step closer, touching Bonnie's arm lightly.

"The weapon is designed to fit over the arm like a sleeve," she began explaining, "like it's part of the body. When it's not attached, the body basically treats the arm like it would an open wound," she explained calmly, "So we put it on, to ease the pain, to make his body as whole as we possibly can. - The bandage can't do that or even begin to achieve it." She sighed, smacking her lips when Bonnie tried to say something, but couldn't get anything out. "Believe me, we would have liked to do it another way. But for now we are out of options. There's not much out there on a condition like his, and short of going to the council and the commander directly, we don't really have any other way of dealing with this for now."

There was a silence in the room, in which they all just stared at each other, waiting, but eventually, Bonnie gave the smallest of nods, letting herself slump down on Enzo's bed, grabbing his hand and holding it tight. She avoided looking at the weapon so as not to channel her horrible memories of when she'd last seen one of them from up close.

She swallowed, then quietly asked, "So this is Cole's?"

"Uh…" Caroline was stuttering, making Bonnie frown at her. "Actually, we got this one from Nora."

"Nora?"

"You haven't met her yet, a town elder. A little grumpy, but nice enough. She… said it came from her friend. The Californian."

Bonnie's frown only deepened. "Am I supposed to know who that is?"

She didn't get to hear a reply, for right then, Enzo's eyes opened and he stared at her for just a second, wide eyed, before he shot upright so fast that neither Bonnie nor the doctor could hold him back, and she almost fell back as the weapon came up with his arm, a blazing silver sword that made her whole body constrict like it was in a vise as memory washed over her after all and panic took hold of her.

"Put it down."

Someone had said the words. She wasn't even sure who. Enzo looked from Caroline to the doctor, back to Bonnie, confused and breathing too fast.

 _Put your arm down, please._

Then he looked over to his left arm and froze, just staring for a while.

 _Down. Please..._

"It's just temporary, Lorenzo. Please put it down. But don't take it off, you need to keep it on. Do you hear me. Lorenzo?"

 _Enzo?_

"No." He tried pulling at the weapon, working to take it off, but Bonnie stilled his movements with her own hand, acutely aware of how close to the weapon she now was. It made her shiver involuntarily.

She briefly put her other hand over her still tender side, then turned to look at him. He had started shaking ever so slightly, she wasn't sure anyone but her had noticed it, but he was finally carefully laying his arm with the weapon back down, taking a heaving breath as he looked at her.

She smiled at him. "Hey."

His eyes were flickering as he tried to smile for her, too, but it was rather lopsided and a bit half-hearted. "You're up," he muttered, and she chuckled.

"So are you."

He was trying to lean in to her, but then froze once more, so close, yet so far. She frowned at him, forgetting the others in the room with them. "What is it?"

"I…" He swallowed, looking from her to the others, fixing his gaze on Jo last.

"Welcome back, soldier," she said, and he half flinched at the word. "Sorry about that," she indicated the weapon, "but it was our best shot. The blaze has been spreading. I've never seen it do that to such an extent."

"I can't have this on me." He sounded cold, determined. Bonnie leaned in and kissed his cheek lightly, entwining her fingers with his. He gave her a grateful if sad look. She wasn't entirely sure what was going on in his head.

"Well," Jo pushed a strand of hair past her ear and walked closer toward him, still keeping distance between her and him, though. She was wary. "I'm afraid it's the only way-"

"What about the bandage?"

She sighed, sounding tired. "Not as effective, I'm afraid."

He dismissed it immediately. "Whatever," he hissed, "It'll have to do."

"Lorenzo. Look at yourself." Jo gave him the metal tray she kept some of her things on and angled it so that he could see his neck. She pointed, not daring to touch him now that he was up. She had experience with Eternals, after all, and she knew to stay away. He averted his gaze almost immediately, his mouth a thin line.

"It's stopped spreading," Bonnie breathed against his side, and he looked at her. "It'll be okay."

"I can't fucking run around with a weapon 24/7!" He suddenly blurted out angrily, making Bonnie jump and let go of him. His face fell a little, and she instantly regretted her impulsive response. "I'm sorry, love, I didn't mean to scare you. I…" he faltered, looking down, burying his head in his now free hand.

 _It's because of me_ , she suddenly realized. It was so clear now that she wondered how she had not caught on to it right away.

 _It symbolizes all you're trying to forget._ Enzo's expression was troubled _. I…_

She shook her head, all the love she felt for him threatening to burst out of her. She smiled at him.

 _I'm not gonna deny that I hate seeing it, hate its mere existence with a passion. And yes, it freaking terrifies me, too. But… if it makes you feel better, if it makes this go away…_

Instead of finishing her communication with him, she simply cupped his face and kissed him, leaning her forehead against his when their lips parted.

 _I don't want to cause you more nightmares… I've… seen it all, love. I can't be the reason you have to relive it over and over,_ Enzo told her unhappily, and she smiled a sad smile.

 _I've had more than I can count. I can suffer through a few more if I must._

 _That's the thing, though. You don't have to._

 _Enzo St. John. You are stubborn! And you forget how this whole bond business works: we are linked. I need you at your strongest, I need you to live and grow old with me. I need you to at least try and get healthy. Because…_ Her cheeks flushed. She didn't even know whether it was really true. Should she try and shield it from him? Get confirmation first? Or…

 _You think it's true?_

Enzo gave her a look, wonder and anticipation in his eyes, and fear. Bonnie swallowed, her mouth feeling awfully dry. Of course he'd known already.

 _I don't know… but…_

 _No protection._ He grinned a little awkwardly. _I'm sorry. I'd say I bloody screwed up there. But… is it_ weird _that I kinda like the idea? You with a big round belly… a baby with your eyes…_

 _I… stop it._ She felt so shy, so weird, so… excited that for a moment, she completely forgot to berate herself for having allowed it all to happen. It was true, though. They had not taken any precautions, had just let their passion get the best of them. Not once. Twice.

Once was stupid. Twice?

She licked her lip, she wanted to say something. But then they both heard Jo loudly clear her throat and remembered that they were not alone.

Enzo was first to pull back and reemerge into the here and now, though he squeezed Bonnie's hand and kept holding it when he returned his attention back to the others.

"So, is this Cole's? He'll need it back. He shouldn't be kept from-"

"It's not," Caroline piped up. Surprise was evident in Enzo's face and she quickly explained, "Take a look. You'll see it's an older model. They don't make them like that anymore. We got it from Nora. Quirky little town elder. I'm sure she'll want to meet you." Caroline raised an eyebrow knowingly. "And I'm sure you'd really rather not…"

She went on, but Enzo wasn't paying much attention anymore. This explained why it had felt so horribly wrong, even worse than what he was used to. An Old One... Those weren't even supposed to exist anymore. He remembered horror stories from way back when and had to briefly close his eyes to process.

"Where did she get it from." He said it so levelly as if it wasn't a question. His eyes weren't on Caroline at all, but on the weapon. He moved it around with his hand, staring at it. The glove like part of the newer models was missing on this one. Instead, it had an intricate looking structure around the hilt that kept the hand in place, pushing the wrist with the silvery scar right against the blade as there was no guard. He was almost surprised that it didn't hurt even more than it did. This one, then, did not feel like a second - if too tight - skin at all, but like a vise around his hand, his lower arm. He had the urge to take it right off, throw it as far away as he could.

But Bonnie was right. He couldn't do that. He needed to look out for her, for the potential possible baby. He needed to look out for himself…

He glared at Caroline, trying to avoid the blazing silver sheen of the weapon's metal blade. She still hadn't answered.

"Lorenzo, why don't we talk about all this later. You should get some more rest. Bonnie, you too," Jo tried, but Bonnie grimaced at her and Enzo was still waiting for an answer from Caroline.

"Caroline…"

She gave a sigh and threw her hands in the air. Bonnie thought it was kind of endearing, or would have been if the situation hadn't been so charged.

"Listen to Jo, Enzo. Rest-"

"I want to know where _Nora_ got that weapon from."

"Does it matter?" Caroline suddenly sounded defensive. Wary.

They glared at each other, something unspoken between them, and Bonnie began to have a bad feeling about it. Something was going on that she didn't understand. She had sneaked out of Preparation whenever they had taught them in depth about the Eternals, and their weapons. She kind of regretted it now, that knowledge would have come in handy, but oh well. She knew she hadn't been in the right mental state to be able to hear any of it, and she still wasn't. Not really. For Enzo, she would put up with this horrendous monstrosity, but she really hadn't considered yet what she would do if he returned to his duties as an Eternal.

Would he?

 _No_.

"You gave me a freaking Old One, and you ask me whether it matters where it came from?!"

"Enzo… we needed a weapon that no one was using anymore. One that you could carry all day and all night, potentially for weeks."

Enzo suddenly got up, swaying for a moment on his feet, and Jo sprang forward, trying to persuade him to sit back down, but he glared at her angrily and she stepped away.

Bonnie could feel him bristle, so angry, so upset, so powerless. He was trapped. He knew they had tried to help, and he knew he had needed it.

That didn't mean he had to like it. And he really hated it.

"What's up with the Old Ones?" Bonnie wanted to know, but Enzo shook his head.

"Nothing."

Caroline raised an eyebrow at him, crossing her arms, then she looked to Bonnie, her expression mild and friendly. "Of course Mr. Hothead here would never ackowledge or admit it, but the Old Ones are not exactly… comfortable to wear. Not sure what you know about Eternal weapons," Bonnie shook her head ever so lightly and Caroline nodded. "Well, they're literally a pain, the older models more so than the new ones. And it… it wears you down. We got rid of the Old Ones, the first ones, we had them all destroyed, purged away so to speak, because… their bearers would go insane after years of service. They'd sometimes develop a severe killing urge beforehand and…" Caroline's voice petered out as she saw Bonnie's face. But Bonnie caught herself quickly.

"So why did that woman have something that should have been destroyed?"

Caroline opened her mouth, but couldn't say anything for a while. Then, with a small voice, she said, "Apparently she got it from a friend."

"The one you mentioned to me? Californian?" Bonnie asked, and Caroline nodded weakly.

"The Californian, yeah, that's what she's known as. I swear I don't know any more..."

"I guess we are all gonna have to pay that lady a visit. And then, we'll have to find a better solution than allow Enzo to carry this damn thing on his arm for much longer!" Bonnie's voice was strong and determined. She was looking at the two other women in the room, but out of the corner of her eye she could see that Enzo was staring at her, and she could feel him, too, feel his respect and love for her.

And it made her feel strangely elevated, powerful.

This man was good for little Golden Bonnie Bennett.

And she knew she was good for him, too.


	19. A sliver of hope - a cure?

_Thank you all for reading! This, then, is dedicated to deenew and Jade, for being awesome about giving feedback!_

* * *

...

Later, when there was finally a quiet moment, when Enzo had calmed down, too, sitting gloomily at a table with Cole, discussing something or other, probably weapon-related, Bonnie didn't really want to know, she finally went over to Jo again, who had just been checking on one of the townspeople and was now on her way out.

"Do you have a moment?" Bonnie had waited by the door, hoping to catch her for a quick one-on-one talk.

"Bonnie. Of course." Jo's face looked drawn. Bonnie figured she had a lot to do in a town where she was the only medical personnel, and where lots of stragglers from elsewhere found themselves at some point or another.

Bonnie felt a little awkward. What if it was all just something her brain had come up with? It was highly unlikely that it was true. It had to be some form of dream, or…

It couldn't be true.

"This is going to sound odd. But when I was… under, I… I think I heard Caroline say that I'm," she flushed. Why was it so hard to say the word? She swallowed, looking to the side a little, then mumbled, "pregnant. Is that… true?"

Jo sucked in air, smiling at Bonnie. "Congratulations," she said by way of answer and Bonnie looked up at her abruptly, shocked. Her mouth formed words, but she couldn't get them out. Jo placed a hand on her shoulder briefly, nodding with understanding. Her expression was milder and friendlier than it had ever been. "It's a good thing, Bonnie. The injury didn't do any harm and shouldn't be a problem."

As if that was what was bothering Bonnie now. "I can't have a baby right now. I'm… oh gosh. We're on the run. There's people coming after us! It's a miracle they haven't caught us already!" She was beginning to ramble, but thankfully, Jo stopped her. She cupped Bonnie's cheek, which seemed so uncharacteristic, yet also welcome, and Bonnie was strangely grateful for the touch.

She hadn't allowed those dark thoughts before, but now they were there. "I can't have a baby…"

Jo sniffed. "If you really don't want it, there's ways…"

Bonnie squeezed her eyes shut, shaking her head. That was also not what she wanted.

The doctor nodded, smiling at her. "But you do want that baby. I can see it in your eyes." She paused, inclining her head look at Bonnie. "Hey... It'll work itself out."

"How?" Bonnie hung her shoulders. Of course she didn't expect the other woman to have an answer for her. She just needed someone to confide in, probably, something like a… friend.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't help but overhear…" Bonnie whirled around as Caroline's head poked in through a crack in the front door. "Just got back from patrol," the blonde quietly explained, shrugging a little helplessly, then she opened the door wider and stepped in. The whiff of cold air that gushed in with her made Bonnie shiver, and she wrapped her arms around herself.

As if the two women had wordlessly agreed on something Bonnie wasn't aware off, Jo gave her a last squeeze, then nodded to Caroline and made her way out the way Caroline had just come from.

Another gush of coldness, and Bonnie didn't know anymore whether she was shaking from nerves or the weather.

 _You okay, love?_

Enzo. He gave her a concerned look from across the room and she smiled at him.

 _I will be. I… Enzo, it's true. We'll be having a baby… I guess I'm just scared…_

"Bonnie?" She severed her connection, noticing that Enzo had shifted in his chair, ready to come over to her. She shook her head at him, but smiled. He had warded his mind off pretty well but she was still getting a glimpse of his feelings. Worry, concern. Not just for her. And she knew that the men were talking about graver matters, possibly the people coming for them…

"Uh," she made, blinking at Caroline, who had put a hand on her arm.

"Why don't you and I go over to your bed. You look like you could use some rest. Lay down for a bit."

"I'm fine-"

Caroline raised an eyebrow. "And we can talk better there. No one to overhear…" She winked, and Bonnie understood. With a sigh, she nodded, just a small movement of her head, then she let Caroline bring her back over to the dim room she'd spent the last few days in.

At least she was healing well now, and no longer unconscious.

"You know, Jo was right. It will be okay. It will work itself out somehow."

Bonnie bit her lip, not convinced. "But how? You know we're on the run. My people are looking for us, yours are looking for him. There's no saying what they'll do to us when they find us. Killing seems like the best option right about now."

"Don't even say that. Bonnie. I know you don't know me very well at all, and I bet you don't trust me." The two women exchanged a look, grinning at each other awkwardly. Then the blonde continued, "But I've known Enzo for a while and despite everything, I've never seen him happier than now."

Bonnie frowned, unsure of what to think. "This is him happy?"

"Happier at least." Caroline smiled sadly. "I don't know how much he's told you. But with your bond, I'm sure you know him better than anyone. His life hasn't been very… rewarding so far. He's used to the pain, so that's not even half of it… But anyways. You… seem to make him be at peace. I don't think I have seen him care about anything for a long time. And suddenly, he does. He'd do anything for you, and for your baby. So, bad timing or no, it will work out. He and you will make it so. I know it."

"Well, I'm glad you're so confident, because I'm really not," Bonnie chuckled nervously and Caroline chimed in, then suddenly gave her an unexpected hug.

"This is gonna sound so cheesy, but… maybe you and I can become friends. One day… I get it if that is too weird for you right now. But… I could really use a girlfriend that understands the troubles of dating an Eternal…" Caroline looked a little embarrassed at having opened her heart up like that, but when Bonnie had to chuckle at her words, the ice was broken and she chuckled, too.

"I'd like that, too," Bonnie admitted, "weird or not. A girl needs a girlfriend. Especially when dating an Eternal…"

The two chuckled once more, then finally fell silent. There was a strange melancholy to the moment, and Bonnie found herself touching Caroline's hand. The girl looked up, smiling at her.

"You know… your child will be the future. I know they always say that when someone is expecting, but in your case it's true on so many levels. Your baby will be both, Golden and Silveren. It will be hope. It'll show us all that there is a way out of this war."

Bonnie's skin broke out in goosebumps all over. Hope… Her baby would bring hope…

Caroline slowly stood up, giving Bonnie another quick hug, whispering with a thick voice, I'll try and get Cole to come home with me now. I'm sure you'll want Enzo for yourself for a while, after everything." She smiled then made her way over to where the two men were still sitting, talking.

Bonnie saw her say something, gesture in her direction, and she saw Enzo look her way. Saw him stare at her.

Suddenly the world was open wide again.

Hope.

* * *

…

When everyone had left and the Red Cross building lay in complete darkness, almost deserted, Bonnie climbed into bed with Enzo, resting her forehead against his, neither of them moving.

The bed wasn't made for two, but Bonnie really didn't care.

"Hello baby," Enzo suddenly muttered, carefully placing a hand on her flat stomach for just a short moment, almost making her forget why he couldn't hold her…

He was lying at an awkward angle, balancing the weapon on the side of his body, mindful to keep it as far away from her as possible. He was feeling horribly self conscious about it and she wished she could have eased some of that, but she knew her feelings in that regard couldn't be controlled, and her fear and revulsion for the thing were hardest to hide.

"It's nothing to do with you," she muttered when she could see it in his eyes, and she caressed his face gently with her fingers, smiling at him sadly.

"I know," he breathed, but he didn't look at her and it gave her a pang. "Cole said they found an outpost," he suddenly said, and Bonnie felt her skin prickle.

"One of yours?"

"They were dead. Looked like a Golden attack. But… if they're this far out here, it means they've almost found us."

"Could it be something else? I don't know, a random run-in?"

"Possible." He looked up, dark eyes flashing. "Unlikely."

She nodded. So her people were out here now too. And they hadn't even made it into Silveren territory yet; hadn't even visited the mysterious Nora and her even more mysterious friend, the Californian.

"What should we do?"

He sighed. Something was battling inside of him, and he was trying to hide it from her. _Don't. You can tell me…_

 _I need to get rid of the weapon. It's… I can't handle it for much longer. It's just too much._

 _I know, babe._ She stroked his face, so sad for him. _Let me take on some of the burden for a while._

 _I can't._

 _You know you can-_

He shook his head. _Not with the baby, I can't._

She wanted to say something else, wanted to argue. But she couldn't. She really wanted this baby, she didn't even know why. She was a child herself still, the circumstances were less than favorable, yet here she was, already starting to protect that little tiny human miraculously growing inside of her. "Alright," she muttered, "then we'll just have to leave tomorrow. Right in the morning, no matter what anyone says. Let's confront that Nora and then we'll go on our way to find something better for you."

Enzo kissed her, lightly, just a flutter against her skin, and she wiggled a little closer to him, needing to feel him. "Let's not rush too much," he breathed, "you still need rest and I'll just have to wait a little while longer-"

She shook her head. "I am well rested. Let's get on our way. If we want to change the world for us - for our baby - we need you to be as healthy as possible. We need to stick to our initial plan." Silveren territory…

She bit her lip, thinking of something. They hadn't really had time to discuss it at all, but it was at the forefront of her mind.

"You want to talk about my father." Enzo's clipped voice sounded unhappy and defeated.

"I'm sorry, babe. I think we have to…"

He clenched his jaw again, so hard she saw his muscles work, and she put a hand on his cheek to make him stop. "It's okay," she muttered. "Doesn't have to be tonight. It's just… if we can get to him…"

"We can stop the war?" Enzo completed the sentence for her, then chuckled humorlessly. "You're not the first to think that, love. You're not the first to be wrong. He doesn't give a damn about anything I say. He doesn't give a damn about me."

"He made you an Eternal."

"Exactly. At the age of 15. Two years younger than usual. Because he wanted to prove a point. Or… whatever the hell his reason was. I honestly don't know and don't care."

…

She remembered images from when she had been unconscious. Images that hadn't made sense then, but suddenly, they became clearer. Translatable.

A back split open. Over and over again. A loud booming voice, cold and frightening.

And then...

"He isn't ready yet, sir." The man looked old and tired, like he wanted to be anywhere but there. There was a young assistant with him, an innocent looking woman, who couldn't have been out of training for very long. Her wide eyes were sad and stricken.

A dark shadow of a man spoke with a gravelly voice. "Of course he is. He is my son."

"He is neither of age, nor of the right blood type. It might not work. We've had best results with type A-"

"Just do it. If it doesn't work, then find a way. Cut up the other arm, make it longer, I don't care what you do as long as you make it work!" An almost yell, full of anger. Then quieter, the man continued, "He is my son, he needs to become a symbol of our power, our best and most effective weapon. My own flesh and blood needs to put fear in the enemy. He will be my arm, my hand, stretching out into enemy territory.."

"Sir. He'll probably just be in agony…"

"Enough! Do it or I'll do it myself!"

"Of course, sir…"

A cold floor with towering people. The feeling of being held down by many hands and then… a searing icy hot incision snaking its way down the arm, pain frothing up and pulsing until… nothing.

Nothing.

And then: pain.

...

He tried to pull away from her, she knew it was not so much because of anything she had said, but because of the feelings his father unearthed in him, and she wasn't ready to let him. She put both her hands against his face, whispering, "Look at me." Urgently, desperately. When he did, she saw raw pain in there again, and her heart broke for him once more.

How often could a loving heart break? A million times over. And more.

She stretched out an arm, snaking it over his body, under his shirt, down his back, until she found the scars there, tracing them with her fingers.

"He's a fucking asshole," she said, rather unpoetically and vulgar, and she got a small smile in answer.

"I just wish I could ignore him," Enzo took a shuddering breath, biting down hard again, and when she shook her head, smiling warmly, he tried to relax once more. "But he never lets me…"

"He has access to all Eternal technology, right?"

Enzo frowned at her, suddenly realizing in what direction she was thinking. He nodded at her, and she smiled.

"I don't want you to have to deal with him ever again, but we might have to use him… might have to play the relationship card…" She gnawed on the inside of her cheek, worried about how best to explain what she had in mind without having him think she was only using him. "And destroy all of that technology," she then whispered, staring at him, waiting for his reaction.

"What?" He looked at her, confused and frowning. Guarded. Ready to retreat.

"The way I've seen - experienced - you suffer, I want it to stop. No one should have to endure that. What kind of treatment is that for your own people? How haven't they revolted yet?"

"Terror is a pretty strong incentive to just follow orders and keep quiet, love." He sighed, then looked at her again. "You'd have liked my initial mission, Bonnie Bennett."

She raised an eyebrow. "Oh? I thought you couldn't talk about that."

"Well, things have changed…," he trailed off, looking at her for a long charged moment, then he quietly communicated, _I was going to meet with a guy over on your side, someone who had contacted us with an offer-_

 _A Golden traitor?!_ Bonnie's eyes widened in shock. Of course she wasn't actually on anyone's side anymore, but deep down she was still very much a Golden, things didn't just change there overnight, and the betrayal of one of her own people agitated her and made her strangely angry.

 _If you want to call it that… He didn't exactly offer to switch sides._

 _But he wanted to meet with you…_

 _His way of trying to end the war, I guess. If you want to go so far, you could call it humanitarian reasons. He said he had a suggestion on how to get rid of the source for the Eternal weapons, and possibly a cure for this._ He nodded to his arm.

 _Why haven't you told me that before? When we first set out to go find something that'd help you?_ Bonnie didn't understand. It seemed like this was too good to be true, perfect timing for their demise. So why had he held back that information?

Enzo grimaced at her. _We had no way of knowing how sincere he was. Whether we could trust him. And I was going to betray my own people._

 _What do you mean?_

He scoffed, unhappily. _The council sent me over to capture the man so we could question and then execute him._

Bonnie gasped in horror, but Enzo went on. _I_ _wasn't going to follow those orders, love. I was going to hear the man out and bring his cure to my people, destroy the sources. I would have been persona non grata, of course, a dead man walking, but… it seemed worth it to me. I was already mostly dead. And this was a chance to end the suffering on both sides._

Bonnie licked her lips, marveling at his words, and a little disturbed by them too. _Do you still feel that way? About already being mostly dead?_

She had to ask, although she feared the answer. Enzo smiled at her, a little sad, but mostly warm and with fondness, and he muttered into her hair, "Not anymore. Not since I met you, Bonnie Bennett of the Golden. You make me want to live. And you make me want to fight this even more than before.

 _So, what should we do now?_ She asked, still huddled against him, her body starting to drift off into sleep but her mind hanging on, needing some closure before shutting down for the day finally. _Should we go with the initial plan of venturing into your lands, or should we try and find that man you were meant to meet?_

 _He might have gone into hiding when I didn't show up. With matters of that much… impact…_

 _I think we should risk it. All the traces we left, they'll point into the direction we intended to go. I bet our people will follow those. They won't suspect us suddenly turning around and going back…_

Enzo kissed her forehead lightly, smiling. She had closed her eyes now, she was so tired. She could feel herself drift off. Fighting it became harder, almost impossible. Enzo could feel that too.

 _You're smart, love. Very smart. I think if you're willing to risk it, so am I. But… we need to be prepared that he may not be there anymore, so-_

 _We need to take care of your arm first._ She nodded to herself, even her thoughts just a mumble now. _You can't ride incognito with a weapon anyway. Let's hope that woman Nora…_

Sleep eventually took hold of her, embracing her like a warm blanket, and Enzo kept watching her for another few minutes, before he, too, finally fell asleep.

Tomorrow. Tomorrow they'd have to find a solution for his arm.

The day after, they could start trying to end the war and save the world.

Even if the task seemed insurmountable, the odds stacked against them, he felt strangely exhilarated.

His father would be appalled at learning that his own blood had been plotting against him. Even if they'd fail, that thought gave him a strange sense of peace. Peace with what he was, who he was...


	20. Visit to the woods

_Thanks deenew, Jade, and kpmindc! You are awesome! Happy to indulge in some Bonenzo with you! :)_

 _kpmindc: lol. We shall see. It's definitely a possibility - if we get that far. :)_

 _Jade: glad you liked it. There'll be some backstory coming up! - And Enzo will definitely have to do a little more... badassery before the end of this story. :)_

 _..._

 _Honestly, writing this story is a mixture of lots of fun and lots of facing daunting tasks. I'm not entirely sure where I'm steering, other than toward a somewhat agreeable ending of sorts._

 _However far I'll get, whether I'll succeed or not, Bonnie and Enzo WILL have their happy ending in this story. Writing sad stories definitely used to be something I did, but I don't like that at all anymore. And in Benzo's case, the show already robbed them of a happy ending, so I'm not gonna do the same in writing. Aw, hell no!_

 _Anyways. I'm kinda always worries that with each new chapter, the story will take a too bad turn, but then again, I hope everyone will get something out of it, even if it's just the first few chapters, or just the ones where they do the naughty, or whatever._

 _Long author sermon over. On with the story..._

* * *

...

Bonnie had not missed traveling through the cold on the back of a horse. Nope, she really couldn't say that she had.

She and Enzo were following Caroline and Cole through the remains of the snow, their horses making soft noises in the slush under their hooves. At least it was getting gradually warmer, the snow slowly thawing, patches of dirt visible in the first few small places.

With a sigh, she watched the houses pass by as they headed further and further away from the center of the settlement and toward the home of Nora, who lived right outside the main premises of the town.

"She likes her privacy," Caroline had explained with a wink. "She's really not a people person, so don't be shocked when she tries to throw us all right back out."

Bonnie had raised an eyebrow. She wasn't exactly happy that they had to meet that woman at all. But if they wanted to get rid of the Old One, they had to find out where it had come from. And they hoped that maybe that knowledge led to them finding something better suitable to keep Enzo's condition from spreading.

If they didn't, Cole had already offered to let Enzo keep his spare bandage, and Bonnie was glad about that, if also worried. What if it wasn't enough? What if the sheen started spreading again?

It had to be contained until they met that mysterious Golden, at least. She hoped the man hadn't lied or told the Silveren a ruse to lure them into a trap. They relied on his words to be true.

He _had_ to help Enzo. He had to help _them_.

"This one over there," Caroline suddenly announced and Bonnie frowned as she saw what she was looking at. An old house, almost a mansion in style, large, with heavy brick walls, and at least two floors, a small window in the roof indicating that there might be room in the attic as well.

"I wasn't expecting that…," she mumbled, and Caroline shot her a grinning glance.

"I know, right? She lives in a fort. Nora is… very reclusive, to put it mildly. I honestly believe she hates people. I don't even know why she agreed to help us with Enzo."

"Must be my ravishing good looks and gentlemanly behavior," Enzo quipped, earning himself an eyeroll, and he chuckled. "What, you don't agree?"

"That's just the thing, Lorenzo St. John, the fact that it's actually true makes it so much worse. Lucky for you, I found myself an even better man, more handsome, taller. And he's smart."

"Are you saying that I'm not?" Enzo smirked, and Caroline grinned.

"I shall keep that to myself," she said, then turned around, kissing her hand and blowing the kiss Cole's way. He looked at them all mildly, as if they were small children whose plays he had gotten used to long ago. Bonnie had to grin.

They hadn't had a light moment like that in a long time. A little easy happy banter, no worries. And she wished they could just wait out there a little while longer and soak it all up.

But Cole had come to a stop in front of the large house already and soon it was her turn, too, to carefully dismount her horse and hop into the sludge, grimacing as she felt immediate cold creep into her feet.

Why couldn't this all have happened in the summer, at least? Why in this god forsaken worst winter in a while?

"Alright," Caroline clapped her hands as if this was going to be fun, "Shall we?" Then, without waiting for a reply, she made her way over to the large wooden front door and rapped her knuckles against it in a hearty knock. "Nora! It's Caroline!" She hollered, making Bonnie feel uncomfortable. She had tried to be quiet and stealthy for so long now that she really hated making loud noises outside.

"Nora! Come on. You knew we were coming. Open up!"

It took another few minutes of waiting in the cold, until the door was finally opened from inside, and a small figure appeared on the stoop, squinting at them with something akin to contempt. The woman looked like she was at least at the end of her seventies, Bonnie hadn't seen someone that old in a long time. Even her grams was merely in her sixties, and she had thought that was old…

Gray hair framed her wrinkled face, her mouth was pursed in obvious disdain, and her old eyes were cloudy from years, but apparently still sharp.

"You brought your boy, and," the woman gave Bonnie a scrutinizing look, "what is this Golden doing here?"

Bonnie's eyes widened. What had given it away? Was she really this obviously not a Silveren?

"And this, I presume, is the commander's Eternal." Nora had walked around the four and had come to a stop right in front of Enzo, daringly touching his weapon, making him flinch away and stare at her angrily.

"Easy now, kid," she told him, her voice so dark it could have been a man's. "I'm not here to hurt you. Far from it. I have provided you with a weapon, haven't I?"

"An Old One. Is that your definition of not hurting someone?" He raised an eyebrow, challenging her.

She smirked back. "I see you know your Eternal lore."

"I wouldn't call it lore... But yeah, I know what this is, and I know that no one should even possess any of them anymore."

"Well, it wasn't mine. I was just asked to deliver it. Someone had a soft spot for you. Personally," she raised a shaky finger, "I don't care much about you Eternals. You wreak havoc, you bring terror and pain into this land. This is not Silveren territory, yet you all keep barging in like you own the place."

Cole exchanged a look with Enzo, then Caroline, before he turned to the old woman, stepping a little closer to relieve Enzo from having to face her.

"Ma'am. We are not here to steal any of your time. But since this is a delicate matter, we'd like you to inform us where we can find your… friend, the so-called Californian?"

Nora looked from him to Caroline, addressing the latter, pointing at Cole. "Does he always talk like that? Stilted?"

Caroline made a face, but didn't say anything. Nora huffed, rolling her eyes, clearly annoyed by the whole situation. Yet also curious.

"You mean Esther? You're really here to tell me you're interested in dear old Esther? Because of this?"

Enzo gave her a look, not saying anything, just staring, until Bonnie could see the old woman avert her gaze.

"Please," she said, stepping forward now too, "we won't bother you or her. We mean no harm. We just want to return the weapon and be on our way."

"And you need four people for that? Why didn't the commander's Eternal go on his own?"

"Nora."

"Fine. I'll bring you to her. Let me just… get my coat and my boots. And then one of you will have to lend an old woman a horse, it's too far for my legs now. Especially in this weather…" With that, she vanished back into her house, closing the door, leaving the four waiting on the icy doorstep.

They exchanged looks, completely bewildered. "Didn't you say she wanted to see him?" Cole said to Caroline, indicating Enzo, and she shrugged.

"At least that's what I thought. She had that air about her…"

"Shouldn't trust you to read people's 'air,'" Enzo said, smirking, and she shook her head and rolled her eyes at him.

"Yeah yeah. Whatever."

They all fell silent, awkwardness spreading, and Bonnie felt herself drawn to Enzo, quickly searching for his hand and holding it.

 _Do you think you'll be okay without a weapon?_ She asked, worry showing in her features, and he moved closer to her, leaning in till she could feel the heat emanating from him. He smiled, but it didn't convince her.

 _It'll be fine. If it doesn't work out, I'll have to find myself a new model and try it again. I've held out a long time without one before-_

 _Right. And where did that get you?_

He sighed, but before he could say anything, the door sprang open again, and Nora walked out surprisingly briskly, huddled into a thick fur coat, a woolen beanie and matching scarf obscuring half her face. "Shall we?" She asked, then looked up to the much taller men, "Which one of you is gonna give an old lady his horse?"

Enzo was the first to move. Disentangling from Bonnie, he made his way over to where he had tethered his horse, but before he could hand her the reins, Cole put a hand on his shoulder and shook his head.

"She can have mine. You'll need your strength."

"Such courtesy among you Eternals," Nora shook her head, "one could almost believe it's true what they say about you, that whoever first created you wanted to bring back the knights…"

Bonnie raised her head at that little tidbit. She had never heard that being mentioned, and it made sense to her that she hadn't. It put the Eternals in a much nobler light than the Golden wanted to believe.

Once they had helped Nora on the horse, they all made their way to wherever the Californian resided. They had to go slow, even though Cole and Caroline had begun sharing a horse, but with the added weight, the animal couldn't go as fast, and the slippery ground didn't help matters either.

"At least it's finally thawing," Caroline chirped, trying to make light conversation, but nobody was in the mood to engage.

So they rode the rest of their trip in silence, a tension spreading between them that Bonnie found weirdly stifling.

* * *

…

The hazy sun was already on the decline again when they finally reached a small patch of underbrush leading into a large forest. "It's right in there," Nora was saying, pointing, and the little group was frowning at her. One woman, so far away from any other settlement, living close to a forest? Everyone knew that forests were infested with wolves these days. And packs of wild dogs, once domesticated, now rabid and dangerous.

Bonnie pressed her lips together at the thought. Her memory of the incident at the department store was still fresh, and one look at Enzo revealed that so was his. She could see how tense he was, how unwilling to proceed. But they did it anyway; of course.

With Nora obliviously leading the way, they barely had a choice. When they were at the edge of the forest, the old lady stretched out a hand, waiting for someone to help her down and Enzo quickly went over.

"We should leave the horses here if we want to keep them alive. The house is just a little further into the woods." She gave Enzo a knowing look. "Scared?"

He didn't grace her with a reply, just stepped back as soon as she was down, walking back over to Bonnie.

"You two are a strange pair," Nora observed, earning herself a glare from Bonnie, and she chuckled. "Easy now, child, I didn't mean that as an offense. You're really kinda cute together, actually. I just wonder how fond the commander would be of a Golden bride for his Eternal."

Bonnie was suddenly acutely aware of the fact that Nora hadn't once used the word "son," even though she clearly knew about Enzo's special connection to the commander. Since the old woman didn't seem to be exactly caring and sympathetic, it made her wonder why.

They all walked after her, a little deeper into the forest. The trees were tall and dark, despite the winter season, the rest of sunlight barely penetrated it, as many of the trees were pines, with only a few white oaks to accentuate them, sharp pine needles prickling and unwelcoming. There was a sharp smell of sap in the air, a stark contrast to the still frozen smells outside.

Bonnie clung to Enzo, an anxious sense of foreboding making her short of breath. Don't panic now, she told herself, and felt Enzo pull her even closer as she did.

Eventually, they came upon a small hut, and Nora walked right up to it, knocking with verve, calling out to her friend. "Esther, it's Nora. And that Eternal you had wanted to help…"

The door sprang open almost immediately, a tall middle-aged woman with two long braids of hair stepping into the light coming from within. She was carrying an old shotgun, a rare weapon in those parts of the world, and Enzo quickly stepped in front of Bonnie, shielding her. _Not again_ , something in his mind was thinking, and she couldn't agree more. Their last encounter with a firearm had not ended so well…

The woman must have seen the sheen of his arm as he moved, because she squinted at him, calling out, "It suits you well."

Enzo raised an eyebrow, taking her in. "I'm here to give it back."

"You can keep it. I have no use for it anymore, and I hear that you lost yours-"

"I don't want it."

She smirked at him, a little aloof. "You sound a little ungrateful, if you don't mind my saying so."

"I'm not. I thank you for helping me, or trying to-"

"Trying to?" She interrupted him, "Nora here told me it did help you. You seem to be better than you were from what I gathered, is that not so?"

He sighed, clenching his jaw. "Yes," he allowed, not wanting to dwell on the subject. "Since you don't want it back, I'd like to destroy it."

"Why?"

He scoffed, disbelieving. "It's an Old One. No one is allowed to have them anymore. They've been banned years ago."

"But you need one, and it's free. Wouldn't it be a shame to waste a perfectly functioning weapon?"

"Are you serious? These things corrupt their bearers-"

"Maybe they need corrupting."

Enzo was bristling, but it was Cole who stepped forward, in front of the woman. "Why did you have it? Whose was it? Yours?"

She chuckled lightly. "I'm not an Eternal, no. My grandfather was, however. The weapon used to be his. But why don't you all come inside for a moment and I'll tell you a little story. That's why you're here, isn't it?" And she nodded toward the direction of the door, beckoning them to follow her.

Inside, a nice fire crackled and the smell of some sweet tea was fragrant in the air. She waved toward a jumble of sofas and chairs. "Why don't you sit down. Nora, come help me serve them some tea. Might as well put in some work of your own now that you've brought them all over here."

The two women busied themselves in the small adjoining kitchen for a few minutes, leaving the four younger ones to exchange some glances and wait in awkward silence, until Esther suddenly piped up, "So, before you ask why I live hidden away in the forest in this tiny place and not among the other veteran families in the cities: you two should know," she waved over to Enzo and Bonnie, making Bonnie frown in her direction, suddenly wary.

"You don't think you'll be able to happily live your lives together, do you?" the woman said challengingly, "A Silveren and a Golden?" She scoffed, "My grandfather ran away with a Golden. Back when they tried, once again, to attack us at the core, in the homeland, Nevada. You know, it's a strange fact that many keep forgetting, but the Golden did originate from California, it's just been such a long time that nobody really remembers. In our minds it's been Silveren territory for a long time. Almost forever. But I am proof that it wasn't always like that. My family hails from the west coast, a small little town, and when my grandfather came to scoop away my poor ignorant grandma to bring her with him to Nevada, that was the end of that. Or so everyone thought. But people could tell. They saw what she was, and they treated her badly for it. Why would she bind herself to the worst the enemy had to offer?"

She looked at them all as if she was expecting an answer, but then she gave it herself.

"Love. Of course." She paused, looking off into the distance for a moment, then she continued, "My family is spread all over now, I couldn't keep track. But we all share one thing: we could never blend in. We were always called out. Not Golden enough, not Silveren enough. Maybe the great grandchildren will fare better now, but my generation?" She sighed. "Anyways. You are not here for storytime, are you? Lorenzo St. John? Just…," she had walked very close to him, bending down until her lips almost touched his ear. Bonnie grabbed his hand, holding it, anxious and alarmed, when the other woman whispered almost inaudibly, "Ask you father something next time you see him, will you? Ask him what he knows about the mother of his children. About her lineage. Because he _will_ know. It's the reason you never got to meet her, kid…"

Enzo jolted up, jerking his head, unwilling to sit there and listen to the woman ramble for much longer. "Stop," he hissed, and Bonnie got up after him, gently touching his arm.

She could tell how much the words of the woman had affected him, how deeply they had stung.

It was not just the things Esther had said, but also what she had not explicitly mentioned, the things she had left out, but in a manner that it was all too clear what she was inferring.

Enzo's mother was not a pure Silveren.

And suddenly the puzzle pieces came together, suddenly it all made sense. How Bonnie had been able to bond with him…

"Do you want me to destroy it or leave it here?" Enzo abruptly asked, completely disregarding what the woman had been talking about and she gave him a sympathetic look, before her gaze fell on Bonnie.

"Leave it here, then, sweetheart," she told him offhandedly, her eyes still on Bonnie, "it is an heirloom of sorts after all, I guess."

He nodded, then pulled the sleeves of his jacket and shirt up so that he could take the weapon off, which seemed painful and awkward and time consuming.

"Are you really sure, Enzo?" Caroline piped up, concern in her voice, but he gave her a look that shut her right up, and Cole laid a hand on her shoulder, whispering something that made her nod.

"I'll be waiting outside. - Bonnie?"

"I'll be right there," she said, putting her cup down, ready to follow him, and he nodded.

 _I'll wait outside if you don't mind. I need some bloody air..._

 _Go._ She smiled at him, saw him leave, when the woman suddenly grabbed her arm, and Bonnie glared at her.

"Wait," she muttered, then quickly went over to a cabinet in the wall and got a small bag out of it. She returned to Bonnie, looking at her with warm sympathy.

"Give him this," she said, handing her the bag, and Bonnie took it delicately, a quizzical look giving away her confusion. "You know what it is. I could see it in your eyes, child, the worry about him. The urge to ask about this. With every weapon there comes a bandage. It's been like that for almost an eternity." She sighed.

Bonnie felt like she should say something but she couldn't make herself. The woman smiled mildly. "This was also my grandfather's," she explained, "It is an older model, as well, obviously, but as far as I know, the bandages never got recalled. In fact, they used to be stronger in the olden days. Better fabric, tighter woven. Feel it," she urged, and Bonnie did.

The woman was right. The quality was a lot better, the texture tight and firm. She had a good feeling about that and she hoped she was right.

Because they needed that.

* * *

…

"I don't know, I still think giving back that weapon was a mistake." Caroline was stomping her feet against the cold, waiting for the others to get ready for the trek back to their settlement.

Enzo merely glared at her, shaking his head. "That's because you don't have to carry that bloody weapon," he snapped, uncharacteristically harsh, and she didn't press the matter.

Bonnie gave her a sympathetic look, and the blonde merely shrugged.

"Ugh," she suddenly made, rolling her eyes, "can someone check where Nora is?"

"She said she's staying behind," Cole told her, shrugging when she glared at him as if it was his fault.

"We're supposed to bring her back! Did you tell her that."

He grimaced, then grumbled, "I did. That woman is… rather opinionated…" He didn't elaborate, but his face told the whole story. There was no arguing with a woman like Nora.

"Fine." Caroline was ready to get back, it wouldn't be particularly fun riding in the dark anyway, especially not when it would probably freeze over again and their path even more slippery than before. She didn't want to risk Bonnie's still tender health, especially since the poor girl was pregnant - and a Golden - and she also didn't particularly like the idea of being out with two Eternals, one of them not even in a great condition and without a weapon. "Let's get going already."

"Wait," Bonnie had walked over to Enzo, handing him the little pouch-like bag. "It's a bandage. We need to…"

She didn't have to continue. She could feel how the pain was already obliterating most of his thoughts and he wasn't going to argue or put up a fight. With a sharp intake of breath, he leaned against the wall of Esther's shack, and let Bonnie help him wrap his arm with it tightly.

"We need to hurry. I don't want to spend too much time in the freaking forest after nightfall. What the hell was Nora thinking, leading us here, anyway? She should have at least mentioned that the lady is a wood hermit."

Cole walked over to Caroline, grabbing her gently, talking to her, and Bonnie could hear the other girl huff but nod to whatever her boyfriend had told her. Bonnie smiled to herself.

She wondered whether she and Enzo looked half as awkward and at the same time cute together as those two.

 _What do you mean, awkward?_ He asked her, and she looked up to see him smile.

 _I wasn't…_ _insinuating anything._

 _Because obviously we are far from awkward, and mostly just very handsome and adorable._ Enzo was smirking at her now, and she was so relieved to see how quickly he'd perked up after she'd finished her wrapping job, and she pulled herself up on her tiptoes to kiss him.

"You two ready over there?" Caroline called out, her serious expression quickly pulling Enzo and Bonnie back into he here and now, and with a nod, they made their way over to the horses.

"I really hope we're not gonna encounter rabid dogs again, Bonnie mumbled, pressed against Enzo's side and he grinned at her, pulling her even closer, "What, you didn't like the experience? And here I thought you seemed like a dog person."

"A dog person, huh? As opposed to a cat person? Are we really talking about this right now?"

"Why not? Now is as good a time as any."

Bonnie rolled her eyes, but chuckled. "I do like dogs. Not rabid beasts."

She didn't get further than that, because Enzo suddenly put a hand right over her mouth, signaling something to their companions with the other. Bonnie was instantly panicky, her heart beating in her throat and chest simultaneously as Enzo pulled her behind him. _What is it?_

 _Voices,_ he informed her, _over by the horses._

She grabbed his arm, eyes wide.

 _You just stay by my side, Bonnie._

 _Can we hide?_

 _We need those horses…_ His non-answer was answer enough. They couldn't hide. They'd have to face whoever was out there. Bonnie was chewing on her lips, trying to keep her panic at bay.

They might have to fight. The four of them... against how many others?

...


	21. An unexpected ally?

_You guys! Thank you for being here. I'm kinda amazed I'm still writing this. lol_

 _Jade: so happy to have you along for the ride. Glad you liked Nora! lol - And there's definitely something to be said about Enzo and his father's relationship.. Carenzo friendship (occasionally couple) is something I could always get behind, too._

 _deenew: there's something waiting for you in this one! ;)_

* * *

...

They crept closer through the underbrush, slowly, stealthily. Bonnie was no soldier, she was also still somewhat tender and gingerly walking at times; she didn't know what she was doing, but she was doing it.

She had gathered up the hem of her long coat to keep it from dragging, she was watching her every step carefully, at the same time making sure she kept close to Enzo, who kept turning around to check on her. He put a finger to his lips when they were very close to the horses, the poor animals anxious and whinnying.

Enzo was signalling to Cole. A few strange hand signs, and eight raised fingers. Eight strangers.

He gave Bonnie a look. _Golden_. He was worried about what they might have to do to get out of their situation, what he might have to do to some of her people. What she would think of him.

 _I know you're not just here to slaughter anyone. Whatever happens, must happen._ She bit her lip. There was nothing more to say.

With a nod, he motioned for her to stick with Caroline while he and Cole would assess the situation up close.

 _Be careful_ , she implored him, her panic shifting from a general one to a fear of losing him. He gave her a last look, then barged out into the open, Cole coming from the other side, Eternal weapon raised.

Bonnie held her breath.

* * *

…

Caroline had huddled up with her, hiding behind a fallen tree, but she kept peeking over it to see whether she was needed.

"If I have to go, you stay here, okay?" she whispered so quietly that Bonnie had a hard time understanding her against the light rustle of the forest around them. She gave a half nod. She wasn't stupid, and not suicidal. If she could help it, she'd stay hidden for as long as it took.

She couldn't hear what was going on with Enzo and Cole, and it terrified her. His mind seemed completely shut off, she couldn't even glean any information through her link. What if he… No, she couldn't allow that thought. She had to stay strong. He'd singlehandedly wiped out that troop of Silveren before, he'd be alright.

They would be alright.

"I gotta go," Caroline suddenly hissed, already jumping out and away, and Bonnie froze, her breath stuck in her lungs.

She was alone.

Waiting.

For how long should she wait, though? Should she try and help after all?

 _No_. Enzo...

She couldn't just sit around passively.

 _You have to! Promise me_ …

It was good to feel him, but it didn't ease her mind. He didn't want her to endanger herself, she got that, but still.

How long until she knew which side had won, then? How long…

Suddenly, she heard a low growl and a snarl, so close it made the nape of her neck prickle uncomfortably. Sowly, she turned her head to the side and she saw a long snout pointed in her direction, sharp teeth visible. A large wolf, or was it a dog? She wasn't even sure… the animal's dank breath hit her and made her wrinkle her nose in disgust and she felt her stomach turn.

Don't throw up now, Bonnie Bennett, she told herself, stomach heaving.

But she didn't have time to worry about it anymore when she saw that the beast hadn't come alone…

She pushed herself up against the tree, trying to remain completely silent. She was alone. There was no one there to help her now, only herself.

This was not good…

* * *

…

Enzo fought with his body alone, arms and fists, and powerful kicks. He leaned far back, evading an aggressor's attack, then ducked down to dive and hit the woman from behind.

He needed to get her dagger before she managed to hurl it at him, but she was a strong opponent, small and flexible, always moving, like a freaking gymnast.

In the back of his mind he felt Bonnie's panic peak, and the worry about her kept him from paying attention when the Golden came at him again, dagger aimed toward him.

Reflexively, he stretched out his arms to deflect her, though he didn't even have his weapon on him, and his eyes widened when he watched the blade connect with his weapon-arm as if in slow motion.

He was aware of Cole and Caroline fighting somewhere alongside him, aware of the Golden bodies on the ground…

They had identified Cole as an Eternal right away and not waited to attack. There hadn't been a chance for a peaceful solution.

"You don't have a chance," one of their attackers had hissed before Cole had stabbed him, "we know you're here; we're everywhere. We're coming at you from all sides."

The man had grinned a bloody grin, even after the first wound had opened on his body, oozing silvered blood.

All sides. The forest… Enzo had to hurry and get this over with before they got to Bonnie, but now, he was staring at the dagger, his arm. His eyes traveled up to meet the enemy woman's. There was an excited expression on her face that suddenly faltered and fell. Confusion flooded his own mind, it was such a strange feeling that he wasn't sure whether it was his own or Bonnie's.

And then he noticed that his arm was unhurt, the dagger having slid through the sleeves of his coat and shirt with ease, but not penetrated the fabric of the bandage at all.

No new pain…

He used the moment of surprise to jolt up, grabbing the woman's dagger and plummeting it straight into her own throat. She took one last gurgly half-breath, then Enzo was already up and helping Caroline against the Golden that had thrown her to the ground and was holding her there now, pointy end of a knife not an inch away from her windpipe, when Enzo slammed into him from the side and hurled him off his friend.

It didn't take long from there. Cole had taken on the majority of the enemies, and they sprinted back into the forest quickly, ready to get Bonnie and make a run for it.

 _Please be okay..._

* * *

...

There were too many of them. She didn't have a chance, but when she braced herself, summoning whatever defiance and fight she had in her, something happened.

The pack leader - a dark gray beast with amber eyes - lunged for her, showing its dagger like teeth, and he was so close that Bonnie thought for sure he'd be at her jugular in a split second, but then…

… another, slightly smaller animal, a wolf too, perhaps, or maybe a husky, sprang to meet the dark one and the two collided. Balls of fur, fighting in the air for a second, then on the ground, harsh growls in the air, and Bonnie shrank against the tree, her fingers guiding her as she tried to slowly step away, as stealthily as possible.

Maybe she did have a chance after all.

* * *

…

When Enzo saw her, he froze for just a moment before adrenaline kicked in and propelled him forward.

Too many of those beasts. Those freaking dogs…

He raced to meet her, signaling for Cole and Caroline to come from the other side, and he got to a startled Bonnie just before one of the dogs standing closest to her tried to make its move.

Enzo snarled almost as ferally as the animal, then pulled Bonnie behind him, inching them both away as best as he could while Cole decimated the pack with terrible ease, almost making Enzo wish he had kept the stupid Old One.

The shack wasn't all that far away, and what with the prospect of more Golden waiting for them, he would probably have to go back there and remorsefully ask for it back. He clenched his jaw, the prospect making him feel sick to his stomach.

There was no winning in war.

 _It won't be for long, babe._ Bonnie's slender fingers came up to touch him from the back, just a graze against his shoulder, but it was the grounding he had needed and he kept going.

When most animals were either dead or had been scared into leaving, he pulled Bonnie up and away from the tree, half carrying her with him, pointing deeper into the woods, back to the shack.

"I'll need that freaking weapon if we want to make it out of here," he hissed at Cole and Caroline, just as Cole stooped down to inspect one of the dogs on the ground. The beast was hurt and panting, eyeing him warily. He was about to finish it off too, when Bonnie suddenly jumped into his path with a loud "no," startling them all.

"What the hell?!" Cole yelled at her, making Enzo rush over to Bonnie's side as if he needed to protect her. He glared at the other man, challengingly, warningly, and Cole stared right back at him, finally lowering his arms in a "no offense" gesture. "Should eradicate them all," he muttered, though.

Bonnie looked at Cole, then Enzo with strange concern.

"Not this one," she muttered, making Enzo frown at her, and as she kneeled down, carefully extending a hand for the animal to sniff, Enzo had to fight the urge to pull her away.

"What are you doing?" he hissed, alarmed and on edge. He didn't trust those animals, but then Bonnie did something, transferred images into his head, shared her feelings.

The dog - or was it a wolf? - seemingly coming to her aid… And now it was slowly, guardedly approaching her, its fur raised on the back.

There was a little blood on its flank, visible where the fur was silvery white just around its head and left front leg, and vanishing into the different shades of gray of the rest of its body.

The animal looked at Bonnie out of light blue eyes, sniffed her hand, then suddenly sprang away just as she whispered a "thank you."

With a sigh, she got up, looking a little perturbed, and Enzo gave her a brief hug.

"I'm sorry, love. They're wild animals…"

"I know. It's just… He was different. He tried to save me…" She looked after the animal with a strange longing gaze, and Enzo felt even sadder for her. For the things she had given up - had had to give up after bonding with him of all people.

 _I've gained_ you.

He smiled a small smile at her. _That you have, love..._

"Sorry to interrupt," Caroline said, walking over, eyeing them, clearly aware that something had gone on between them. "But we should really get that weapon, warn Esther and Nora, and then make a plan on where to go. I'm suggesting we take the horses and walk through the forest, get at them from behind."

The others nodded, then quickly made their way back to the cabin…

* * *

…

Esther was blinking at them, an almost mirthful seeming smirk appearing on her face. "I knew you'd be back," she said directed at Enzo, shoving the weapon back at him before any of them had even opened their mouths. "And before your over-imaginative heads get the wrong idea: no, I did not send anyone here, and I'm asking you to please leave me out of this. I'll keep Nora with me and just close my doors now. Nothing I haven't seen before. This corner of the world has always been a highway of sorts, troops coming through from every direction."

She clicked her tongue, looking back at Nora, who was still sitting casually on the couch, watching her host as if this was nothing out of the ordinary.

Enzo looked so unhappy that Bonnie felt a pang.

 _You don't have to take it…_ she told him, lightly touching his back where no one could see it.

 _I should have just kept it. I wasn't thinking clearly. It had already taken a toll on me. But I should have kept it and just taken it off. It would have come in handy just now-_

 _Don't do that._

 _What?_

 _Blame yourself. Talk like that. You couldn't have known they'd ambush us so quickly._

 _I'm a bloody soldier, Bonnie. An Eternal. I'm used to being hunted. I should have kept the Old One._

 _It turned out alright… Just promise me you'll only wear it if there's really no other way._

 _That's my intention._

His words were not as clear as she would have liked, but she had to accept it. If she was honest, she had been relieved when he'd finally taken off the weapon and it freaked her out that he might put it back on. She guarded those thoughts carefully, however, not wanting to upset him even more.

"You're not going to tell them that we were here?" Caroline was just asking Esther and the woman shook her head. I've never told them anything and I intend to keep it that way. To them, I'm just the Californian, a slightly crazy, mostly mute hermit. Don't tip them off to the truth," she winked, "that I'm more than slightly crazy and love my tea with sugar…"

Caroline pressed her lips together, nodding.

They really needed to get going, and so she led them all back out and on their way.

Enzo turned around briefly before leaving, looking at Esther one last time. "Thank you," he breathed, and her smile became warmer.

"Anytime. Just watch that girl of yours now. Keep her safe…"

Enzo clenched his jaw and gave a quick nod of his head, then he was out the door, hoping to never see her again.

* * *

…

Bonnie shivered. Temperatures had dropped significantly once more, seeping into her bones like an illness.

The rustle of twigs against twigs, the strange noises of the animals made her nerves tingle, triggering her anxiety to new levels. It was so dark that she could barely see a foot in front of her, and they all stumbled through the forest like blind people on a path into doom.

She just hoped the Golden weren't already secretly surrounding them, only to light a fire at some point to show them they had been watching since the beginning.

 _Your imagination makes_ me _feel creeped out, love,_ Enzo informed her, but she could feel a somewhat inappropriate amusement in his words.

She rolled her eyes even though he wouldn't see it. _I'm just so ready to get out of here and hopefully back to the settlement in one piece. I…_ She faltered. Maybe she shouldn't tell him that.

 _What is it, love?_

She felt rather than saw that he had strayed a little closer to her side, his horse nuzzling hers briefly, but it still felt like he was just way too far away.

She longed for some alonetime with him…

She bit her lip, then exhaled forcefully. _I just… almost wish we wouldn't have to go anywhere, wouldn't have to go out there and find that Golden. I wish we could just stay at the settlement, make a living there, somehow. Hiding from the world. Just… us._

 _You know that's just a nice little dream. A place like this… like Esther said, this is like a highway, and the settlement… well, it's just a little too close for comfort. I wouldn't want you and our baby to live anywhere near that danger…_

 _I know._

And she did. But that didn't mean she couldn't still be sad. She stifled a sudden chuckle, earning herself a stab of confusion from Enzo's direction.

 _I'm sorry. I was just thinking… its funny how we keep oscillating from one opinion to the next. First you tell me you just want to ride off into the sunset and I tell you it'll be rewarding in the end if the keep fighting, and now…_

 _It's the other way around._

 _Two sides, one coin…_

 _That's us. Round and shiny. Heads and tails._

She tried not to chuckle, but for a moment, lightness was back in their lives and it was a welcome relief, even though they knew it wouldn't last all that long.

Suddenly, the moment all too suddenly ended as Cole stopped, making them almost crash into him and Caroline.

"We should stop here and try to rest," he suggested, and Bonnie didn't like the idea one bit.

Rest? In the dark of the forest? Where they couldn't see properly?

But that was exactly Cole's reasoning. "Sight is getting worse. There's no moon tonight, and I honestly can't see much more than a little ahead of myself. There's a little dip right here, we went downhill for a bit, and the underbrush is thick enough to give us a bit of shelter and shield us from any scouts."

"Shouldn't we rather use the night for cover?" Bonnie asked, feeling dumb as soon as she had done so. Arguing with actual soldiers didn't seem like a smart idea, but she was surprised when Enzo agreed.

"She's right. We gotta get out of here, no one's gonna get rest in this bloody darkness anyway."

Cole was barely visible, but when he moved, Bonnie caught a glimpse of the sheen on his arm - he was still carrying his weapon, and something tensed in her. Panic coming back.

It's just Cole, she told herself, but it wasn't easy.

The situation was getting to her. She needed to get out. She needed it to be over. That weapon, that sheen… it reminded her too much of the past. What if they wouldn't make it out of the forest alive, what would she do when she'd have to face her own people, framed by three Silveren soldiers? She couldn't think anymore. She couldn't do this.

She couldn't...

...

 _Easy, love. You're okay. It'll be alright._

She found herself clinging to Enzo, not remembering when she had begun to do so, and his arms were around her, holding her close, Cole and Caroline just two distant figures, sitting on the ground, leaning against a tree, their horses tethered right beside them. She felt Enzo's breath in her hair, calming her, reassuring.

 _Did I just lose time because of a panic attack?_

 _I'm sorry, love. Too much too soon. We should have let you stay at the settlement_.

She shook her head, leaning it against him _._ _No. I wouldn't have stayed behind, anyway. Besides. I'd have probably panicked even more._

She could tell that he wasn't convinced, but he didn't argue, and didn't say anything else. Instead, he slowly guided her over to where the other two were already sitting and motioned for her to do the same.

"Time to rest. Close your eyes for a little bit.

"So we agreed on stopping after all, huh?" She grinned awkwardly and was so relieved when she made out Caroline's genuine smile.

"We did," she said, handing Bonnie what looked like a slice of bread. She stretched out a hand and took it, ridiculously grateful for something to eat. "Someone's gotta look out for you two - and baby," Caroline smiled at her warmly.

Cole's sonorous voice startled her, as if she hadn't heard him speak in a very long time. "Why don't you two try and get some sleep now while we take first shift," he told them. "We'll need you both as rested as possible tomorrow. We don't know what we are facing…"

She nodded; she heard Enzo exchange a few more words with the others, but part of her was already succumbing to the pull of sleep, and the last thing she felt was how her head fell against Enzo's chest and how his arms came around her, holding her.

She hoped he was getting some rest, too, but she kind of doubted it.

 _Sleep_ , she tried to tell him, _sleep_ …

* * *

…

Morning came a minute later - or at least that's what it felt like to Bonnie when Enzo gently shook her awake. She looked at him out of wide confused eyes, and pulled herself up into a more sitting position from where she had apparently spent the night leaning against him. She felt groggy and tired, because she had been woken from a very deep dreamless sleep, and was surprised to see the first rays of sun pierce the ground through the trees' canopies.

She inhaled deeply, letting the air fill her lungs for a moment before finally exhaling. _We gotta get going,_ Enzo informed her, and she nodded. He looked at her, cocking his head, just taking her in, then his lips curled into a smile and he kissed her, tenderly, carefully. Then with a little more passion that made her gasp.

She laid a hand against his chest, half trying to push him away, mentioning the presence of the other two to him, but then she saw they were still asleep, just as Enzo pulled away with a sigh anyway and said, out loud. "I know now is not the time, love…."

"Soon," she told him firmly, trying to make herself believe it, and he smiled.

"Yes, Bonnie Bennett, soon."

With that he stood up and walked over to wake the other two up, who still lay curled together beside a heap of fallen trees. Bonnie realized that Enzo must have been watching all three of them, never waking her up to share the "shift," and she was grateful yet also concerned about it. She wished she could have spent the night with him awake, yet she knew her body was rejoicing that she had slept through it.

...

It didn't take them long to get their things ready and be on their way. With every step they took, Bonnie's anxiety grew, a prickling feeling making her uncomfortable and on edge. It was like she was knowingly walking into her own demise, and she hated it.

What was awaiting them on the other side of the forest. Who?

And how many?

When they finally reached the outer edges on the other side, where the trees grew less dense, letting more and more light in, leaving more room to walk their horses through, more room to see, it was almost too easy to see what they would be facing.

Too many. There were way too many Golden soldiers. A hundred perhaps, maybe more. There was a whole camp of them. How was that even possible? And why were they there?

Bonnie swallowed hard, tugging at Enzo, who had stopped in his tracks, just like Cole and Caroline.

"We're fucked," Cole was saying. "There's no way-"

"Let me try and talk to them. Maybe I can lead them away," Bonnie suggested, not even knowing where that had come from. She wasn't normally one to bravely walk out to face danger. But she was the only Golden in their midst.

"No." Enzo's reply came instantly and firmly. She grabbed the lapels of his jacket and looked at him.

"It's our only chance."

"She's right," Caroline pointed out. "If they see any of us, they won't hesitate and kill us. But a fellow Golden…"

"They probably know who she is!" Enzo hissed. He was very obviously angry. "I'm not gonna let her-"

"You're not gonna let her what? Try and save her life? And yours?" Caroline challenged. "Enzo… you know she's right. I get it. I really do. You're worried about her. But she'll either die right away by our side. Or she can give us a fighting chance."

"There's gotta be a better way. We'll go back. We… hide and wait."

"We could never hide in here long enough. And you heard their outpost. There must have been a Bonded among them warning the main troops. They know we're here."

They all looked at him with sad sympathy. He stared at Caroline, then Bonnie, his jaw working again like it always did when he was agitated.

 _I can't lose you._ He wasn't looking at her when he said it.

She looked up to him, touching his face lightly, making him turn to her, making him see her, and her affection for him was threatening to spill over. Tears were welling in her eyes unbidden, and she tried to blink them away.

 _I can't lose_ you. She told him. _And that's why I have to try._

Then she kissed him, so passionately as if there really was no chance for a tomorrow, before she forced herself to step away.

"Have an eye on him for me?" She told Caroline, and the girl nodded at her, sadly smiling before giving her a quick hug.

"I'll try and steer them away from here," Bonnie said, "I'll tell them I lost my bond-partner. I'll… come up with something. Just… promise me you'll try and get away as soon as they're gone, and then… " _Come find me._

She gazed at Enzo one last time, then she was off, walking out into the light, blinking as the first Golden faces turned in her direction.

 _I love you, Bonnie Bennett, and I_ will _find you._


	22. On the way back home

_Thanks Jade and deenew._

 _deenew: just wait... ;) - And yeah. Enzo should have used his head before even giving the Old One back so easily, shouldn't he?_

 _Jade: glad you liked it. We WILL get them out of there... ;)_

* * *

...

Enzo stood frozen, unable to move, just watching Bonnie vanish into the light. He was so tense that his muscles started protesting, his back hurting, but he didn't even care.

Once he couldn't see her anymore, couldn't hear anything, he closed his eyes, breath hitching. Then he looked to his horse, to the place where he'd strapped the weapon, and with a few quick movements, he pulled the bag holding it to him and unwrapped the gnarly thing.

He caught Caroline watching him and their gazes met briefly as he pulled his sleeves up enough to be able to strap on the Old One, and he could see something flicker in her eyes as he did, and he looked at her tiredly, making a face.

"I'm sorry," she mouthed, "this _will_ work, and we'll get her back."

He nodded, halfheartedly, trying to make himself believe. But deep down, he wasn't so sure. Good things never lasted in his life. Why would it be different now?

Because _she_ was different…

* * *

...

Bonnie walked gingerly through the sludge, concentrating hard on the few patches of brownish grass that had started to poke through where the Golden army must have disturbed the ground the most.

"Hold up!" Someone was finally yelling, and her heart sank, the panic came back.

She had warded off her mind as best as possible for the time being, not wanting to make Enzo's worry weaken her, and vice versa. She needed to concentrate. This had to work.

"Freeze!"

She startled, blinked again, made herself pretend to stumble and whelp out a "help me."

Soon, voices came closer, faces. Golden soldiers. Her people. Yet she felt like their enemy in disguise, like they weren't truly hers anymore.

She stumbled again, this time for real. She saw a shadow approach her, fast and blurry, felt it slow down close to her, next to her. Panic seized her, making it hard to go on, but when she dared to look to her side, she was shocked to see that half-wolf trotting by her side, sniffing at her warily, eyeing her.

There was a moment in which she thought the animal was gauging her, making up its mind, and at the end of it, he continued walking with her, growling, when suddenly, the soldiers appeared right before them, daggers raised.

They looked at her, then at the dog, and she could tell that they were unsure of how to proceed. They feared the dog. They thought he was hers.

And maybe they were right.

She looked at the animal once more, its strangely trusting eyes on her, and she gently whispered, "It's okay," before she turned to the men in front of her, not looking at them directly because it was just so bright.. "He won't harm you," she told them, "so please don't harm him."

Not that she knew that to be true. But she had a feeling, and for some reason she was willing to follow it.

Her eyes had finally adjusted to the light out in the open, and she looked up just in time to see four riders appear right in front of her.

"Major," someone addressed one of the soldiers on horseback, "she just came out of the forest. She's one of us-"

"Of course. We've been looking for her…"

That voice… Bonnie swallowed hard, stifling a gasp. The soldier was still holding her arm, people were asking questions.

"You're Bonnie Bennett?"

"Where's your link-partner?"

"Where is the Eternal?"

"What happened?"

"Are you okay?"

But she barely heard them all. She closed her eyes, then made herself look up again just as the soldier on the horse in the middle sprang down to land in front of her.

Their gazes met, and she saw… nothing. A blank stare. A frown.

"Are you alright, Ms. Bennett? Did the Eternal harm you in any way?"

"Damon…" It escaped her, though of course it wasn't really him anymore.

He gazed at her, oddly calm, no smile on his features.

"Major Salvatore, what shall we do with her? Interrogation?"

Damon gave the other soldier a sign, shaking his head. "I'll take care of the interrogation myself." He turned his attention to Bonnie. "Ms. Bennett, follow me, please." He extended a hand, his expression so friendly she could almost see the old Damon in there, but then his eyes flickered and the moment was gone. "You may bring your dog, but you'll have to keep him in line or he's dead."

With a curt nod she went with him, into the unknown of her future, the strangely trusting animal coming with her of its own accord.

So much depended on her, so much depended on how she played it. She just needed to gain them some time, get the Golden to go on their way, and then… flee.

* * *

…

Damon's tent was surprisingly warm and comforting, nothing much, just a bedstead and a pair of chairs in there, divided by a small rectangular desk. "Sit, please," Damon was saying, pointing at one of the chairs while he sat down in the other, looking so familiar in his uniform that it stung.

How had they brainwashed him that quickly and sent him on his way? Why hadn't they kept him closer to the city? Made him a guard? Bonnie had a bad feeling suddenly. He might not remember her, but he was still linked to Elena, and thus had access to her memories.

Except, she had heard the way it worked, how they reprogrammed the "fallen from hope" as they called them. They didn't take the memories away per se, they just severed them from all emotion.

Damon, then, was just a shell, all memories there, but no feelings, not for her, not for Elena, not for anything. He was just a soldier, a mask.

No need to try and appeal to the goodness in him then. No need to try and remind him of how he'd saved her before. She'd have to go a different route.

"Where's your Eternal? We want him back."

"I don't know," she said, staring hard at the ground. Anything to not see his empty eyes.

"We heard otherwise. That he was just here with you."

Her breath hitched, but she caught herself. "No, that's right. He is… or was. He made me go with him, he… showed his true side," she made herself force a chuckle, "I wanted to believe in the good in him, but he's an Eternal, and…well, he'll never change. I've tried running away for a while. Your… appearance here finally provided me with a chance…"

"Is that so?"

"They fought some of you and that's when I slipped away. Please. I'll do whatever it takes, but can you please bring me back home? I haven't been able to talk to my grams in such a long time, she might not even know what happened."

"Elena informed her."

Bonnie swallowed, flustered. "Oh. Thanks," she made herself say, but the whole situation was so weird. Damon-not-Damon was such a strange conversational partner.

"This must be awkward for you, I'm sorry. I realize you've known me in the past, Elena is telling me that. We have history together…"

"It's alright." She looked down, seeing the half-wolf look up to her and taking unexpected comfort in that. "I just want to go home. I'll do what I can to help you find Enzo. Maybe, if you lock him up…"

"We will have to do that, I'm afraid. I'm glad you are aware…"

What a strange conversation, Bonnie thought. They spoke of it all so matter-of-factly, so disconnected, as if it was just business as usual.

"What do you need me to do?"

Damon smiled at her. "Getting straight to the point, I like it. Well, we'll have to heavily guard you, of course. I hope you'll understand that we can't let you run around freely as long as your partner is still out there…"

She nodded, wondering how exactly her next few days would look like? Would they lock her up? Chain her?

"We'll need to scour the forest before we can leave, but then, I'll accompany you back to command, back to your family."

"My _grams_ ," she corrected; it wasn't like she had much of an actual family, and she hated that Damon of all people - even if he was just shell-Damon - was saying the word so offhandedly.

"Of course…"

His suggestion was not good, however. There was no way Enzo and the other two would evade detection, would survive if the Golden really did filter through the woods. She had to come up with something. Think, Bonnie.

 _Tell him you saw us escape the outpost, riding toward the mountains._

Enzo… She had to concentrate hard not to lose her countenance at feeling his presence. It felt too good.

 _The… mountains?_

 _That way he'll think he has an advantage. The mountains are closer to the side he's already on, if he doesn't go through the forest, he might think he'll be able to catch us. - It'll also bring you closer to home._

Home…

The thought alone was jarring.

 _I'll know you're safer there, until I can come and get you. And you'll already be where we need to go…_

She pressed her lips together, looking up to see Damon frown at her.

"They're not in the woods anymore," she suddenly said, clearly surprising him. She had to make it seem like she was very reluctant to tell him that. "Please don't make me regret this," she muttered, and she felt Damon's hand lightly touch her shoulder as he was squinting at her now.

"Where did they go, Bonnie? Did you feel anything? See anything?"

She worried her lip, pretending to be even more uneasy than she already was. "That bond is really nothing," she told him, "it's… I can barely feel he's there. His pain, that's all."

"Pain?" Damon's frown deepened.

"From the weapon?"

"I see..."

"But yes," Bonnie continued, looking at him through her lashes, "I saw them. They… killed some of our people, I couldn't… I had to try and get away…"

"It's alright. I'm not blaming you." Damon's touch intensified, and she had to remind herself that he wasn't the man she had known anymore. Damon without whatever had made him human before, compassionate. "Where did they go?"

Her next words were a mere rasp, her voice sounding broken and used up. "Toward the mountains. Promise me they won't kill him, or I'll be dead too…"

"You have my word, Ms. Bennett."

"Thank you…"

* * *

…

They didn't stay long after that. Damon had allowed her to rest for a moment while the soldiers had packed up, giving her time to collect herself. Except, she couldn't get her anxiety under control. Suddenly she felt like she was missing a part of herself, Enzo being away from her, it just didn't feel right at all.

Ever since they'd first met face to face, when he had been a prisoner of war and she still just a newly bonded girl, they hadn't spent a day without the other.

 _I'm still here_ , he let her know, a warm feeling washing over her as he did.

 _I know._

But it just wasn't the same. She wanted to feel him again, see him, touch his lips with her finger...

 _It won't be for long._

 _It'll still be too long. And what if-_

 _No_ , he made, interrupting her, knowing what she had wanted to say, _don't even go there, love. It'll all work out. You had the right idea._

Bonnie couldn't help but think that he was only saying it to make her feel better. After all, he hadn't wanted her to go. But she couldn't dwell on those thoughts, because suddenly Damon popped his head back in, telling her, "A few more minutes; my men will come and pack up the tent now, and then we'll be off. I hope you're ready to get back on a horse."

She nodded, meeting his gaze head-on.

"There won't be room for a pet," he said, pointedly staring at the dog whose head she had been absently stroking.

"He doesn't obey anyone, so... He'll either find a way to follow, or not," she told Damon, never once breaking eye contact.

"Alright then." He must have felt the hidden hostility in her statement, because he didn't bring the issue up again.

* * *

…

Later, when she was riding beside him, flanked by a few of his men - surely to keep a close eye on her, ruling out the possibility of her making a dash for it, she couldn't believe it all was really happening.

She saw the forest vanish behind her, her heart filled with sudden hope and anticipation, while at the same time weighed down by the fact that the distance between them was growing.

She hadn't even actually been to the Silveren territory, and now she was back on her way home. She felt so detached from that notion, however. Like the Golden lands, her home city, where command was also incidentally situated, was simply not her place anymore.

It hadn't even been that long. A few weeks or months, she had honestly lost track, yet it felt like an eternity.

This then, would not be a coming home, although… maybe she would get to see grams again. She gasped at the thought, her throat constricting.

She missed the old lady more than she'd allowed herself to realize.

They went on their way, hundreds of horse feet stomping the ground, soldiers in Golden uniforms flowing like waves around her, making her feel like she was stuck in some surrealistic dream.

Then the world around her started to blur, she lost sight of the dog that had followed her for a little bit at the beginning, and she saw the trees again as if she was back in the forest.

She was thinking of Enzo, and it had opened her a path into his mind. She saw what he saw, felt what he felt...

* * *

…

The pain had dulled considerably since he'd first put Esther's bandage on, it was so foreign that he found himself touching his arm, almost as if to check that it was still there.

"She really did it," Caroline was whispering in awe, and he clenched his jaw as he followed her gaze, watching the Golden troops ride into the opposite direction.

There had been a small team of four soldiers that had walked into the forest, just a mile or so in, and they had to hide from them, knowing that killing them would have only resulted in the enemy realizing they were still there.

One tense minute long it had seemed like one of the Golden would detect Caroline in her hideout. He'd heard a noise, had stuck his head right where she was lying under a tree stump. She'd stared at Cole, panicked. The Eternal had pulled his weapon forward, barely held back by Enzo who had given him a look, shaking his head, just as the Golden had suddenly turned away, again, signaling something to his comrade.

All clear.

And then… they had been alone in the forest, and the enemy had moved out. With Bonnie.

 _I'm sorry it had to be Damon_ , Enzo had told Bonnie earlier, feeling her distress. He had been just as shocked as she, but of course it hadn't really affected him, he had barely gotten to know the man.

Bonnie, on the other hand, seemed to have lost a bit of her footing there for a bit and he'd done his best to stand by her side.

 _I kinda wish I had never seen him again_ , she had communicated back, later, when she was already riding away.

 _You didn't. This is not him anymore, love. Not your friend…_

But then he'd had to concentrate back on his own situation, and now here he was. Riding alongside Cole and Caroline, back to the settlement just for the moment. He didn't know what the two wanted to do, where they wanted to go from there, where they could go. If they even wanted to leave. He only knew where _he_ needed to go, where _he_ needed to be.

With her. He needed to find her, free her if he had to, then find his contact and try to end the pain for all.

"You okay?" Caroline gave him a strange look, and he nodded.

"Let's go."

And off they went, as fast as their horses would carry them. He half expected the bloody dogs to show up again, but thankfully, their flight remained unperturbed and they quickly reached the semi safety of the town.

Just one more night there, and he'd be off.

 _I love you, Bonnie Bennett. Stay safe…_

 _I love you, Lorenzo St. John. Come for me._

 _I will._

* * *

…

He knew he had to wait, for distance to build up between them, so that he'd have a chance to remain hidden, following their tracks, but always far enough away so that they wouldn't know he was there, couldn't catch him.

He hadn't known how strong love could be, hadn't known he was capable of it, until he had met her.

And he couldn't give that up again, couldn't give her up.

 _How's the day been, love?_ He asked her when the yearning got too strong, when he was sleeplessly lying in bed, waiting for morning, so that he could finally go on his way.

 _We've made good way. Damon is apparently very eager to get me back. Or, should I say, he's very eager to catch you._

 _Well, I_ am _a stunning specimen_ , Enzo joked and he could almost see her roll her eyes in that way of hers, huffing out, blowing a strand of rogue hair away as she did. It made him smile.

They talked for a little while longer before he let her go. She had been dozing off for a while by then, her strange dreams threatening to spill over from their shared space, but he didn't mind. He'd gladly dream with her if it meant he got to be there for when she had her nightmare again, and could wake her up.

But the nightmare didn't come, and eventually he, too, fell asleep, only to wake up once morning was there.

* * *

…

Night was already falling the day they finally made it to the city's outer perimeter. It had taken them days to get back. The weather hadn't helped at all. It was as if nature couldn't decide between winter and spring and it had rained a lot, then frozen over, only to snow or rain again come next day.

Bonnie was tired of it. Tired of the cold, of winter, of having wet feet and wet clothes stick to her body.

She had developed a bit of a cold, worrying Enzo. But she tried to assure him that it wasn't bad, nothing like what either of them had had to endure before.

The worst, though, was the fact that the closer they got, the less of an idea Bonnie had about how best to escape certain incarceration.

"You'll understand that we can't let you leave before we've found the Eternal," Damon had repeated, his rising frustration evident.

He had clearly been hoping to be able to catch Enzo before entering the city, but there had - not surprisingly to her, of course - not been a trace of him. She'd done her best to act surprised, shocked even, afraid.

"You have to find him!" She had implored Damon, "Please! What if he kills himself, or…"

"I'll do what I can, Ms. Bennett," he'd said, looking so uncomfortable that it had pained her. How she hated to be called that by him. She simply couldn't get over the familiarity of his face. To see no emotions behind his intense eyes was the worst.

But at least he had believed her so far.

As they were waiting for the city's guard to allow them in, Damon leaned slightly over to her.

"Well, didn't think he'd be coming," he said, nodding, making her frown, and she looked to where he'd pointed only to see the half-wolf jog toward her.

Her heart skipped a beat.

"You'll have to name him," Damon said, smiling, and suddenly Bonnie saw some life in there, a flicker of something, she couldn't quite put her finger on what it was.

"Excuse me?"

"The dog. Clearly, he has adopted you. Made it all the way here. Doesn't he deserve a name?"

Bonnie opened her mouth, startled, and was spared an answer, when suddenly, a sergeant with the guards uniform showed up and waved them through.

It was really happening. She was back where it all had started.

 _Where are you?_ She asked in her mind, longing to hear from Enzo.

 _Not far…_

 _How will you ever make it past the guard if I'm still locked up? How will you-_

 _I'll find a way, love._ He interrupted her, clearly noticing her worry. He was so calm. _.. You just do whatever you have to, and I'll figure out the rest._

 _Just… please be safe. However long it takes, I can wait. As long as you're safe._

 _Don't worry about me, Bonnie Bennett. I'm almost there._

How she hoped it was true, hoped it would be over soon. She felt so unsafe.

It wouldn't be long before they'd find out she was pregnant, and then…

"This way," Damon was saying, and she nodded absently, directing her horse the same way as his.

They rode for a little while longer, exhaustion finally making her tired and sluggish. They were in the middle of the military district, any building there could be their destination. She was about to ask Damon how much longer it would take, when she heard an all too familiar voice and froze.

"Hello Bonnie."

A figure on the stairs of a large dark building to her left stepped closer, pulling away the hood of a long black military coat.

"Elena…"

* * *

...

* * *

 _..._

 _Anyone want to put in an idea for a name for the wolf-dog? Should he even have one?_


	23. Escape

_I've been waiting for this chapter. lol_

 _Thanks as alway to anyone reading, and any feedback is greatly appreciated._

 _This one is for you, deenew and Jade._

 _Jade: glad it worked for you. :) We'll find out about Elena down below..._

* * *

...

The brunette woman slowly walked down the stairs until she came to stand right in front of Bonnie.

"It's good to see you," she said, giving her a hug that felt almost sincere. Yet Bonnie still didn't trust it, didn't trust Elena. Not any more.

She was still in shock. For some reason the thought that she'd get to ever see her best girlfriend again had never once crossed her mind. But here they were, as if no time had passed. Elena still looked exactly the same, long wavy hair framing her pretty face, a warm smile playing around her lips.

"Damon told me everything, as, of course, you know."

Bonnie raised her chin, wary, but Elena didn't seem to notice. She took Bonnie's arm, intertwining hers with Bonnie's, then said, "Let's get you settled in first. Then we can talk."

All Bonnie could do was nod dumbly, look back to Damon briefly, who saluted Elena and her before abruptly walking off, leaving Bonnie with a sad empty and unresolved feeling.

Was that really it? Was that going to be the last time she saw him?

* * *

…

"It's sad, isn't it?"

Elena gave her a truly upset look that almost made Bonnie want to give her a hug.

They were sitting across from each other in what looked to be some kind of interrogation room. They had allowed her to keep her dog by her side, as long as the animal was kept on a leash, and even though she had hated to do it, Bonnie had taken the proffered leather band and had put it on the strangely docile dog, because she was so glad about the company, glad that she wasn't completely alone.

"What is?" She asked now, one hand absently stroking the dog's head as it was resting on her leg, giving her a small amount of comfort.

Elena licked her lips. "Damon. He's… been collateral damage, so to speak. Bonnie, you…"

Bonnie felt stricken. "I never wanted for any of this to happen."

"I know." Elena took her hand, holding it in her lap for a while. When she looked up, there was a fondness in her features that Bonnie didn't feel like she deserved. "I'm sorry if our plan upset you. I know you thought you and… Enzo," she said the name so delicately that Bonnie had to stifle a laugh, "that you could work it out. I know you thought you were protecting him. He had you going there, huh?"

Elena's saccharine sympathy made Bonnie want to gag. Was her friend playing with her? Or did they really all believe her now?

 _Be careful, love_. Enzo's presence made her feel calmer instantly. _I don't trust her._

 _Neither do I…_

Out loud, she said, "He really did," using her best defeated tone of voice, looking down on the ground as she spoke. "I… I never meant harm for our people. I hope they know that, _you_ know that."

"Of course. I've known you for almost twenty years, Bon. I know you could never hurt a fly, not to mention your own people."

Bonnie swallowed, forcing herself to look up. "I just couldn't stand the torture," she said, and tears started welling in her eyes at the mere memory. Which was good for her little performance, but it ached her heart. Those memories… She shivered. "I could feel it, you know? Back then I thought it was just because of the link and all, but…," she huffed, "turns out I just needed to learn to ward off my mind better. He had used the pain to get to me. He was using me, even back then, he was already using me. Appealing to my sympathy. And of course it worked."

"I thought the link wasn't very well established…" Elena frowned at her, and Bonnie had to concentrate hard not to let her instant worry show. Her cheeks felt flushed already, she only hoped that the cold from outside had already made her face look more flushed so that Elena wouldn't notice anything. She had to find something compelling to say.

"It isn't. It's… rudimentary at best. Nothing like what you ever described. Which is, I guess, why I fell for it when he pleaded with me to help him. He must have… sent all his pain my way so that I couldn't take it anymore. I…" She faltered, acutely aware of the fact that Enzo could possibly hear her. It pained her to paint him in such a bad light. He didn't deserve it.

But when she searched for his presence, all she could feel was his barriers. He had shielded himself from her, and she was anxious about that, too.

"We should have found a better way," Elena unexpectedly admitted, making Bonnie frown at her. "When you said the link wasn't well established, we should have talked about options. We should have informed you about our plan, not have you run into it unknowingly. But we couldn't be sure… we thought… if there was a chance you two would develop more than just a bond, we couldn't risk you jeopardizing our plan. We needed the information he could have provided." She chuckled unhappily. "Of course that didn't work out so well anyways, part of which is obviously Damon's fault. And he paid for that, too. _We_ did…"

She fell silent, and Bonnie didn't really know what to think anymore. What to feel.

Elena had just admitted to having botched the plan, and Bonnie suddenly wondered how things might have gone if they had told her everything right from the start. If they had all pretended together that she was helping Enzo flee.

Would she still have ended up falling in love with him?

Would Damon still be Damon?

"It's my fault," she said, "what happened with Damon. Had I not believed in the good of a vile enemy-"

Elena held up a hand, shaking her head. "No," she whispered, interrupting Bonnie. "It was his decision to make. I even warned Damon. I can't blame him, really, because he thought he was protecting you, but… deep down I'm still upset with him. And he doesn't even care anymore." To Bonnie's horror, she saw tears run down Elena's face, and she couldn't hold back the urge to hug her friend, apologizing quickly.

"It's okay," Elena said, giving a small chuckle. "I'm sorry. It's still a sore subject. How could we screw this all up so badly. Your link…," she bit her lip, then scrutinized Bonnie with an abruptly more serious expression. "You do know that unfortunately we can't let you go until we've found your partner, right?"

Bonnie nodded, still wary. "Of course."

"The general and his staff won't believe any of what you just said until you've proven to us that you haven't turned traitor. They'll want you to dissect your partner's mind as best as possible."

Bonnie swallowed, the moment in which she had briefly entertained the possibility of it somehow working out for her to stay friends with Elena gone as quickly as it had come. There would never be a chance for that again.

"Will it involve torture again?" Bonnie asked with a small voice. The dog looked up to her, suddenly alert at feeling her very real tension.

Elena nodded her head, pressing her lips together. "Those Eternals… it's the only language they speak, I'm afraid. I'm sure you've found out by now."

Bonnie gave her best impression of looking humbled and scared, and it worked.

Elena shot her a concerned look, inclining her head. "He hurt you, didn't he?"

Bonnie felt like a traitor, like she was betraying everything she had with Enzo, when she nodded her head, whispering, "yes."

They might need more time than they had before the pregnancy showed, so she better established a quick backstory for herself in case it got detected. The small "yes" implied enough so that she could get back to it, later… But she was hoping she wouldn't have to elaborate before it really became inevitable. Thankfully, Elena left it at that, and continued.

"I'm so sorry. - Listen, Bonnie, our best Bonded will show you tricks on how best to ward your mind off, meditation techniques, too, to make it through any pain he could force your way. You'll just have to dig into his brain and get us that information. We want to destroy those Silveren, once and for all, and we'll start with their Eternals."

Bonnie exhaled, closing her eyes. "What if they hurt him too badly, what if his brain can't take my probing…"

"We won't let him die," Elena assured her, "And if he turns into a vegetable, well, that shouldn't affect you, Bon. In fact, something similar will actually be your reward for your work: once you're done, once you've succeeded in getting the information we need - and I know you will - our doctors will perform a lobotomy on him and he won't ever be able to harm you again. We'll lock him away forever, and you'll be free. Just like Damon had wanted." Elena looked at her triumphantly, eyes gleaming. It was so unlike her that Bonnie was positively shocked.

Sweet Elena, rejoicing in something so horrible…

All Bonnie wanted was to get out of there, as far away as possible, never to return.

 _Almost there, love._

Enzo. He was back…

And her dog perked his ears as if he, too, knew something was coming.

* * *

…

Enzo rubbed over his eyes with his hand, then blinked against the sun on her descending arc. Only a few more hours till dusk would sent the world into darkness.

He was so tired. He hadn't slept much since Bonnie had been gone. He'd kept his rest periods at a minimum, and mostly so that his horse would get some down time, while he had sat leaning against a rock or tree, always vigilant, only ever dozing off for a few minutes here and there.

He knew what he was doing wasn't great for his body, he could feel it, but he simply couldn't wait much longer because he didn't want to lose time. He didn't want Bonnie to be in danger. He needed to get her out.

He needed her _with_ him.

With a sigh, he dug his heels into the horse's sides once more. The poor animal was exhausted, too. He'd have to let it go soon. Thankfully, he had finally reached the beginnings of the Outskirts, from where he could already see the city's lights.

He knew that Bonnie had merely arrived the night before, which gave him hope. They hadn't processed her case yet, she was still waiting in a small cell-like room, "not a prison," as Elena had apparently told her, but with a guard in front of the door, and no windows.

Enzo had no idea, yet, how best to get her out of there. He'd probably have to wait till she was transferred somewhere else, till she was back out in the open. Night would be good. Anything to give him - and then her - a better chance to hide and stay out of sight. He'd have to hurry, then, had to sneak into the city, past the guards, and look for her. Wait for her.

Once he got within reach of the tall outer walls surrounding the city, he jumped off his horse and took whatever he needs out of the bags. He had to stow away the weapon. Wrapped in a long piece of heavy cloth, he swung it over his back and hoped no one would ask him questions about it. He quickly checked that the bandage wasn't showing, pulling his sleeves over his hands to make sure. He wished he could have worn gloves, but no glove would fit over his thickly bandaged hand so he had given up trying.

Part of him regretted not having taken Caroline and Cole up on their offer to join him, but he hadn't wanted to put them in danger, and besides, sneaking one Eternal into a Golden city was already dangerous enough, two… would be pretty much impossible.

Saying goodbye to them had still given him a pang. There was no knowing whether he'd ever see them again, see Caroline again. The only friend he'd ever had.

He sniffed, standing up tall. He couldn't allow himself to dwell on those thoughts. He needed to focus.

He walked the horse over to the nearest control point, waiting in line behind a few other people that wanted to get into the city before the gates closed at nightfall. He tried to calm his breathing, tried to relax, and when it was finally his turn to step in front of one of the Golden soldiers guarding the city, he had almost made himself believe that he really was calm.

"Name?"

"Saltzman," he said, remembering one of the few Golden names he had come across.

"Purpose of your stay?"

Enzo tried to smile, forcing himself to look less like an intimidating dark tall stranger to the shorter Golden, and more like a friendly and agreeable man. The soldier gave him a scrutinizing frown.

"Find a hotel," he grinned, "poor horse needs a break. And I guess I could use a bourbon or two. Any suggestions for a place?"

"Where you headed?"

Enzo grimaced. The man was clearly not up for some small talk. Fine. He could be all business.

"The coast."

The man frowned. "That's a long way still."

Enzo rolled his eyes as if annoyed with the prospect. "Oh ya."

The man quickly peeked into the bags strapped to Enzo's horse, than indicated the pack on his bag.

"What's that?"

"Tent rods. I'm camping a lot out there. Not many cities like the one you have here."

He had to force himself not to hold his breath, and was glad when the soldier thankfully seemed to believe him and waved him through. Enzo tapped his head as if he was wearing a hat, then walked right through.

He was already inside the city perimeter, when the Golden suddenly called out to him again with a "Hey!"

He froze for just a split second, then turned around.

"Try the Mystic Grill," the man said, and Enzo felt himself breathe easier instantly, "just down the road here. They newly opened a few rooms right across the street, and their prices for drinks can't be beat. And there's a stable not too far…"

"Thanks man, appreciate it."

"I've done that trek, coast to coast," the man said with a half nod, "it's not fun. But you gotta do what you gotta do, am I right?"

Suddenly Enzo had the strange feeling that he didn't quite catch on to the true meaning and importance of such a trek, but he nodded anyways, then went on his way, thinking about it for a long time.

…

Of course he never went to the Grill. He found someone to give him a few coins for the horse, not enough to buy much, but it didn't matter and he only took the money to keep up appearances anyways.

Then he went on his way to find the place Bonnie had shown him in her mind. She wasn't very good at noting landmarks and remembering directions, so it took him a while, and he had to smile at the jumble she had transferred to him. She had tried so hard to pay attention, and it still wasn't much.

 _I'm sorry._

His smile deepened. _I've always enjoyed a little challenge._

 _Yeah, well, I think our situation is challenging enough as it is._

 _You do have a point, love._

He wanted to let himself float in their banter, wanted to sit down somewhere, with a nice warm drink, just rest for a while, with her calming voice in his head, but of course that wasn't going to happen. They had to come up with a plan to free her before anyone realized she had been lying all along.

Damon was already back out there, searching for him, upset and disappointed that Bonnie's tip hadn't led to Enzo's capture. It wouldn't be long before he suspected what had really happened, and they needed to get Bonnie out before Damon could contact Elena about it.

He eventually made his way to the place where they held her and was hiding in the small space between two houses on the other side of it, when she next contacted him.

As so often in life, a way had opened up where there hadn't seemed to be one before.

 _They'll bring me over to General Maxwell in an hour,_ Bonnie informed him, and he could feel her barely contained excitement.

 _Where's that?_

 _I don't know. But Elena just came back to tell me, and she said that the General asked for this meeting specifically._

 _Bloody hell_. Enzo was instantly alert and even more worried, but Bonnie exuded a strange calm. _Why would he need to see you this late, when he had all the time to meet you earlier?_

 _Apparently he was on some mission. Just got back and learned about me. And he wants to see me now because he'll have to leave again early in the morning._

He forced himself to take a deep breath. _Okay_ …

This was good then. It had to be. Someone would be coming over to get her, an escort of sorts, and he'd get a chance to get her out.

He'd have to put his weapon on if he wanted to have a chance. He grimaced at the thought, not just because it was an Old One, or because he hated the Eternal Weapons, hated hurting people with it, even if they were the enemy. No, all that were good reasons to hate the mere thought, but what was worse was the potential trauma he'd cause Bonnie. She hadn't really seen a weapon in action up close since the day her parents had been slain.

He clenched his jaw, trying not to think about it.

Then he waited.

* * *

…

When the handful of soldiers came and escorted Bonnie over to the General, she got to see Elena again, just for a short moment.

"I'll wait up for you," she told Bonnie, smiling at her friend as if there was no awkwardness in the fact that she expected Bonnie back to be sleeping in her prison of a room. They could call it whatever they wanted, but it was a prison, a cell with no windows. Bonnie sighed, making herself smile at Elena.

Deep down she was glad that Elena wouldn't be coming with her, because she was terrified of what Enzo would have to do to the soldiers accompanying Bonnie. There was no real chance for it all to go down peacefully, she knew that, and it made her heart grow heavy. She took in the few men and women around her, looked at them, their blank faces, guarded, yet still so unsuspecting. To them, it was probably just another task to fulfill before they could return to guard duty outside the city.

She tried not to think of the fact that they all had families, people to worry about them, mourn them…

And then she was out there, the cold night air assaulting her face with a gust of freezing air as soon as she stepped out, and she half welcomed the feeling because it reminded her that she was still alive. That freedom was out there. The dog rushed out ahead of them all, vanishing into the dark, and she felt a pang of regret when she thought he might just leave her now.

"Follow us, please," the female sergeant that seemed to be in charge told her, jolting her out of her thoughts, grabbing her arm lightly, more as if to remind her that she wasn't really free to go than actively holding her back. Bonnie did as she was told, looking down on the ground beneath her so as not to tip anyone off by scanning her periphery for a sign of Enzo.

They kept walking, barely anyone out anymore that late. It was after curfew, so that part was not surprising. Bonnie felt anticipation creep up her body in a layer of goosebumps and she hated that feeling. She was ready for it all to be over.

There was no sign that anything was out of the ordinary. No sign of Enzo. She hadn't yet dared to even think beyond her initial freeing, but suddenly she couldn't think about anything else.

They still had to go find that man that Enzo had mentioned, the Golden that claimed to know a way out of the war, a way to stop the Eternal weapons, a way to heal Eternal wounds.

But how, where, when, and all that, when the entire Golden army would surely be coming after them.

Was there really hope still?

…

Suddenly, she noticed a movement out of the corner of her eye. One of the soldiers had turned around as if he had spotted something, and he was giving his comrades a hand signal. Quickly, she found herself in their midst, shielded on all sides. She could feel the tension rise.

"What's going on?"'she whispered, and was immediately shushed like an ornery child. It didn't sit well with her at all, not even in her current situation. But she kept quiet anyway.

Finally, the sergeant quietly informed her that they had spotted movement. "Probably nothing, but with your… special connection we can't be careful enough."

Bonnie nodded, biting the insides of her cheeks.

 _They're on to something, Enzo_ , she tried to warn him, just when she suddenly saw him casually step out of the shadows to the side, a half smirk on his face, shiny weapon slightly dulled under the thick fabric of a long coat he was wearing.

"Hand her over and you may live," he said, his voice so cold, so level as she'd never heard it before. She saw it now, how others might have seen him before, intimidating, terrifying, and maybe... a little mesmerizing.

"Fuck," one of the Golden hissed, springing into a fighting stance while another one tried shoving Bonnie away.

"I don't want to hurt you, but I will. This is my last warning, as a courtesy to the lady… Let her go, or I will have to use this," he swung the weapon in a half arc, "And I really really don't want that."

His words sounded oddly sincere, even to the startled Golden. Bonnie could see two of them hesitate. She almost wanted to urge them to run away already. And fast, please.

But then the moment passed and all hell broke loose around her as two Golden soldiers decided to run toward Enzo, one of them taking out a firearm, and Bonnie closed her eyes, fearing the worst.

When she didn't hear the expected loud noise, she quickly opened her eyes, blinking.

There were flashes of an eerie light as Enzo had sprung into action, wielding his weapon, slicing through the first soldier that had tried to attack him with way too much ease.

Bonnie stood frozen, body pressed against the wall of a house that another soldier had pushed her against and she felt like a mere spectator in her own life.

She saw him again, the Eternal that had killed her parents, suddenly noticed how different his movements had been from Enzo's, less "elegant," if she even dared think of it that way, less lithe and swift, but just as lethal. Just as horrifying. She had to close her eyes, had to reinforce her barriers to keep her sanity.

 _I'm sorry._

She didn't even know whether it was him or her communicating those words before the connection was severed.

Maybe it was both of them.

* * *

…

When it was over, there was a moment in which she heard nothing but silence, then her own breath. Then she felt the wall of the building in her back, the ground under her feet, the cold wind against her heated cheeks.

She blinked, taking a step forward. Her dog was there, and when had he come back? He looked more wolf than before as he looked up to her, blue eyes sad and expectant, and she ran a hand through his fur, frowning when she saw blood.

And then she saw _him_. Still standing there, grim face averted as he was busy trying to take off his weapon, then he looked over to her, and his expression changed, to something pained, sad, but also… relieved.

"Bonnie-"

She ran to him, forgetting everything, not looking at the fallen bodies on the ground, not looking at their gleaming wounds. She had only eyes for him, and she flew into his arms, distantly noticing a harsh clatter as he dropped the weapon on the floor to embrace her, strong arms coming around her, holding her close.

"Enzo," she choked out, her throat too constricted to talk much, and she knew it was for the better anyway.

"We need to hurry, love. I'm… so sorry, I never wanted-"

She placed a finger on his lips, stopping him. "I know," she whispered, then kissed him fiercely, her teeth clashing against his before they pulled apart. As he swiftly picked up his weapon, she looked for her dog, beckoning to him, and off they all ran, not another word, not a question, just quick steps into the dark and shadows. Away.

* * *

…

They didn't know where they were running, they just ran until their lungs were burning, until they were far far away from everything, until they found themselves collapsing against the wooden planks of an empty stable that had suddenly emerged right in front of them.

It was over. They had each other back. But there was no knowing for how long. Soon, the dead soldiers would be detected, soon, they'd go looking for her - for them - all over the city.

They had to come up with their next step.

But right now, right then, they were too spent, heaving breaths shaking their bodies, and they couldn't think clearly.

The dog was strangely sitting by the door they had haphazardly closed behind them, as if he was on the lookout, and Bonnie still couldn't believe or understand what the animal might have seen in her that moment back at the forest, but he had become her trusted companion, just like that, and she truly believed he was looking out for her.

When she had caught her breath a little, she finally turned to look at Enzo, whose arm she'd felt right next to hers the entire time they'd been in the shack.

To her dismay, she saw how shiny his eyes were, how distraught he was, and she quickly cupped his face and told him, "We'll be alright, Enzo St. John. I don't know how, yet, but we'll make it out of here."

"I'm so sorry, Bonnie, I know what you must think of me-"

She shook her head, a mild if sad smile on her face. "Ssh, babe, don't. We got out, that's all that matters."

But she could feel his revulsion, his pain, his self-hatred, and she gently took his left arm, not budging when he wanted to pull it away, and she pushed back his sleeves to examine his blazing scar.

"Where's the bandage?" She whispered, and he quietly jerked his head toward the pocket of his coat, moving to take it out. But she was faster. She grabbed the firm fabric and got to work, wrapping it tightly around his arm.

He clenched and unclenched his jaw, looking at her as she went about her task, gazing up at him in between.

"You got me out," she told him, gently resting her hands on his chest once she was done.

"I killed your people. You saw. I…" _can't be a monster in your eyes, you're all I got. You're all I got._

"It's okay," she whispered, "you're not a monster, Enzo. You're the man I love."

He looked at her unhappily, but she saw a flicker of life in his eyes again, and she felt his pain dull considerably.

"That bandage is pretty amazing," she muttered, surprised how much better he was feeling with it. He gave her a dark look, nodding.

"Yes," he allowed, "maybe to make up for how horrible the Old Ones are..."

She bit her lip, looking at him with concern, affectionately. She sighed, then said, "Let's pack up the…," she nodded, unable to bring herself to say the word, but he understood and moved to do as she had suggested, "and then leave."

She tugged at his arm again when the weapon was all wrapped up, making him look at her. "I mean it," she said earnestly, "I love you."

His breath shuddered. "I don't even deserve you, Bonnie Bennett."

"Yes you do, with all that entails. I'll leave it to you to judge whether that is a blessing or a curse."

She saw his expression lighten, an almost smile on his face, and it warmed her heart.

She kissed him again, and this time, it turned into something more. The days they had been separated suddenly fell off of them, the horrors and stress from the last few hours got buried, had to be buried for the moment, until they were better equipped to deal with it.

Right now, all she needed to be able to function again was Enzo, and she kissed him fiercely, letting her hand run under his clothes, just as his did the same with her, and he pulled her down on the straw with him, the dusty smell assaulting her nostrils as he did, but she couldn't have cared less.

All she wanted was him, his skin on hers, his cock inside of her, his tongue in her mouth, his fingers on her most tender parts, and she got it all, and more.

And as she came, her legs wrapped around him, his finger on her clit, his head against her chest, her hands digging into his back, she finally felt whole again, and like they would make it out of there.

This was still only the beginning.

It was time for their healing to start.

It was time that their pain ended, and their life together began.

It was time. For them.


	24. Family ties?

_Thanks for reading!_

 _Special thanks to Jade and deenew: it's pretty much your story by now. :) Thanks for being so invested. You always make my day!_

 _deenew: there's a little more on the dog..._

 _Jade: ya, Elena could have caught them. But luck was on their side this time. They deserved it. I love badass Enzo too, so had to get some of that in - and there's definitely some intimate Bonenzo still in store._

 _Also, hope you won't mind too much, but there's another "familiar" character coming up down below..._

* * *

…

They decided to spend the night at the stable, so exhausted that they fell asleep at the same time, barely hidden by some piles of straw, but the dog kept watching over them, no noise going past his ears, and when dawn came, and the city awoke, he gently placed his cool snout on Bonnie's arm and she woke with a start, quickly tugging at Enzo to make him get up, too.

He shot upright instantly, berating himself for falling asleep like that, but she firmly grabbed his arms, and made him look at her.

"We were exhausted, Enzo. _You_ haven't slept properly in days," she reminded him, raising her eyebrows, eyes wide.

"I'm a bloody soldier with years of training. I was made to go through this and function. Not fall asleep when I should be constantly vigilant. We could have easily been detected. It's a bloody miracle we're still free-"

She looked at him, so fondly, and half amused. "You never cut yourself any slack, do you? I guess then I should apologize, too, because I fell asleep even before you did."

"You're not a soldier, love. I don't blame you. The last few weeks - months - have been such a strain for you. And with the pregnancy-"

She chuckled, incredulously. "Are you even listening to yourself, Enzo St. John? Just because you're a soldier doesn't mean you can endure pain and exhaustion endlessly, it doesn't mean you can go without sleep. You're a human being, just like me, babe. You're easy on me, so be easy on yourself too." She gazed at him, smiling at his resigned expression. "If anything," she said, playing her last, her best card, "it proves that you are in fact, just a human, and not a monster."

She saw him briefly clench his jaw, and she kissed him quickly, softening the blow of the reminder. "Now we better get going, we don't want to test our luck too much."

And finally, she saw the traces of a smile cross his features.

* * *

…

There wasn't much for them to pack up, not much for them to do other than get ready, find something to eat, and then they went out the door, warily sneaking through the streets of the still half sleeping city.

Bonnie had taken the leash off her dog, and its presence had finally truly sunk into Enzo's conscious mind, and he shot her a puzzled glance as she kneeled down to stroke the animal behind the ears, whispering something, before she got up again and the wolf-dog rushed out the door and away.

"Is this the same dog…"

She nodded before he had finished asking, and he fell silent, in wonder. "What's he even doing here?"

"I don't know. There was something about him, right from the start. Maybe he wasn't yet as wild as the others when we came across them in the forest. He's… different. Maybe he didn't fit in. Like us," she winked at him, the coincidental metaphor amusing her.

"You think he's a hybrid, wolf _and_ dog?" Enzo asked, while they were both following the animal, stepping outside, where the light of day was growing stronger.

"Possible…" She smiled, subconsciously touching her stomach as she said it.

Enzo put an arm around her neck briefly, pulling her in for a sideways hug. "Well, I'm glad you had friendly company through all this," he muttered into her hair, then kissed her temple and let go.

They had been walking for a while, when Bonnie realized she had no idea where they were even going. She had quickly dismissed her wish to go see her Grams when they had noticed that the military presence had already increased by a terrifyingly large number, and she had been hung up about it ever since.

But now she was curious. Did Enzo know where they were headed? Had that mysterious man given him a location.

 _Yeah_ , Enzo said, not saying it out loud to not draw more attention. They were traveling mostly in the shadows, through narrow side streets and even the sewers at times, and they had to be careful not to be too loud if they wanted to remain as invisible as they possibly could.

 _An actual address?_ Bonnie gave him a look, surprised at how easy that sounded. She had feared they might have to scour the town for a person neither of them had seen before.

 _A bar._

Bonnie's face fell. A bar meant people, loud noises, lights. It meant that their risk of detection would be highly elevated. She gnawed on her lip.

 _And how do we know it's him? How do we know he'll still go there?_

 _Well, nothing is certain, but he did say that it's his favorite spot to hang out. He said to come in the morning, when the usual guests are fast asleep and everyone else is busy working._

Bonnie scoffed. _Doesn't_ he _work?_

Enzo made a face. _He called himself a philanthropist. - Honestly, I'm thinking he's some rich bloke that doesn't have to work for a living, but something or other makes him want to do what he offered to do._

 _I bet he wants something in return,_ Bonnie mused.

 _I'm sure of that._

Enzo held out an arm suddenly, stopping her in her tracks.

 _What is it?_ She asked, her breath hitching as fear took ahold of her again.

He jerked his head in the direction of an old ramshackle building with a sign above it, a large red sign with flickering Os denominating it as the Old Towne Bar, and Bonnie scrunched up her face at the prospect of having to enter that establishment.

 _Really?_ She looked at him with a whiney expression and he had to smile at her.

 _You can wait outside if you prefer, but I'd rather have you with me…_

His expression had changed to something way more serious, and she nodded, taking his hand in hers before they made their way into the open street, quickly pulling back as a troop of soldiers almost ran into them. One of them bumped Enzo's side hard, and he flinched as his weapon arm made contact, and Bonnie froze for a second as the soldier turned around to face Enzo.

"Sorry, sir," Enzo said, and much to Bonnie's relief, the soldier merely nodded, then continued walking away with his comrades.

 _That was a close call._ She felt her legs shaking ever so slightly and she pressed her lips together to concentrate back on what they were here to do.

She inhaled deeply, then followed Enzo across the street and to the large black door at the front of the bar.

* * *

…

Klaus Mikaelson was sitting in his usual spot, a stool toward the back of the bar counter, drinking a glass of a blood red wine, swigging the liquid around absently, lost in thought.

There had been a mysterious attack last night, he'd still seen traces of it in the early hours of morning, and he had decided that he wouldn't be able to sleep, that he'd go to the bar even earlier than usual instead, let the incident sink in.

There hadn't been an attack like that in years. Was it coincidence that it had happened the same year he had tried to make contact with the enemy side?

Could it, perhaps, have anything to do with the fact that his contact hadn't shown up in the expected time window?

He took a sip of his wine, grimacing as the tannins coated his teeth uncomfortably, and he grabbed a handful of peanuts to wash down the taste.

"Heard about what went down last night?" The bar owner asked him, sitting down next to him now that he was the only guest. The woman was in her late forties, though life had aged her beyond her years. She really was nothing to look at, but she was smart, and good company, and honestly, he preferred that.

Klaus shook his head. "Some dead soldiers, that's all I know," he muttered into his wine glass, then sniffed and downed the rest of it in one large gulp.

"Want a refill?"

"Nah, love, I'm good. It's probably time to head home-"

"On the house?" She held the bottle between her thumb and index finger, the rest of the wine half visible through the green of the glass.

Klaus sighed. "Fine," he said, "how could I say no to such a lovely invitation." He smiled his best seductive smile at the woman, though both of them knew all too well that nothing like that would ever happen between them.

"So, the attack," the woman began, filling his glass back up, "from what I hear, it was an Eternal."

She had spoken so casually, but Klaus nearly spat out the wine he had just sloshed around in his mouth.

"What?"

"I mean, right? What are those guards doing if now there's Eternals coming into our frigging city? How difficult can it be to spot one of them coming through our gates. Geez. I'm seriously pissed."

She gave him a look, frowning at the expression on his face.

"You alright there, Mikaelson?"

He didn't have to come up with an explanation for right then, the door opened, and along with a ray of brightest daylight, in came a tall and serious looking man with a stunning young beauty on his arm.

"Well well, I think you have guests, dear Thandie," Klaus said, turning around in his stool. Then, suddenly, his features darkened and he hopped off, saying, "Or actually, I think _I_ may be having guests. Excuse me…" And he gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, like they were very old friends, before he swaggered over to the strange pair.

He cocked his head, almost dancing around the two, the man pulling his girl closer to him in a way that Klaus had to admit was quite adorable. These two really liked each other.

"Welcome to Thandie's little world, my favorite place to hang out. Usually we are quite alone at this time of day, however. So," he paused, scrutinizing the man warily, looking up and down, inching closer until he could feel the man's breath against his skin. Usually, when he did that, the other party was quickly intimidated and tried to gain back their personal space. Not so this specimen. Klaus was instantly intrigued. It must be him, then, he thought, a strange excitement taking hold of him. He raised his chin, just like his opponent had already done, then he asked, with a sideways glance at the gorgeous woman beside them, "What brings you two here, at this hour?"

"You're Niklaus?"

Klaus broke into a sincere burst of laughter at the man's stony delivery of his name.

"No one ever calls me that anymore, but yes. I am Niklaus Mikaelson. And you, I believe, must be Lorenzo."

The girl showed more of a reaction to the name than her companion did, who remained eerily calm.

"Man, you Eternals really are stoic people, aren't you?" Klaus whispered conspiratorially, then suddenly walked back over to where he'd left his wine and he finished the glass with a few quick gulps before putting on his jacket, grabbing his hat and turning to Thandie, who had minded her own business putting chairs up on the tables.

"So long, Thandie. Don't get worried if I'm not back tomorrow at the usual time. I have visitors, and I might have to show them around town."

The woman nodded as he tapped his hat, then he put an arm around the two newcomers in a familiar way and guided them back out.

"Follow me, my friends, to my humble abode," he said cheerily.

This was going to be a good day after all.

* * *

…

The place didn't even begin to qualify as a humble abode. Enzo clenched his jaw as Niklaus walked them through the hallway of a very large building, marble floors so shiny that he could see his reflection.

The walls were hung with expensive big frames, dark pictures and mirrors, and the ceilings so high that even the large chandeliers hanging from it were still so high up he wouldn't have been able to touch them had he jumped. He heard Bonnie audibly gasp as they walked into a wide living room with long fluffy couches and a beautiful rug on the floor, and he had to swallow to not do the same.

There were not many people left that lived in a world like Klaus Mikaelson. He was pretty sure that his father was one of the last ones to live like that on the Silveren side.

Suddenly he remembered a conversation he'd had, a very long time ago. With the woman that had helped raise him. Lily.

"He couldn't have kept your mother if he had wanted to. She had everything here she'd grown up with, he made sure of that. Yet… she still never felt at home. Too cold. And when she had you and wanted to return to where she had come from… He wouldn't let her. Not with you."

And so she had left him behind… He clenched his teeth so hard his jaw felt like it was threatening to break under the strain.

Esther's words, too, came back to him abruptly, out of nowhere, and he had to wonder…

"You're related," he suddenly rasped, making Bonnie frown and Klaus look at him bewildered.

"Excuse me?"

Enzo felt like the ground underneath his feet was quicksand. Too many coincidences. His mind was refusing to process. Could it really be?

"Did you know?"

Klaus sighed, suddenly weary, and not a bit bewildered anymore.

"You figured it out then, didn't you?"

 _What is going on?_ Bonnie appeared where he needed her most, right beside him, her mere presence keeping him rooted, keeping him from falling apart.

It was like pieces of a puzzle, all coming together. And only because she had connected with him. She was the catalyst.

Klaus broke into a grin at seeing Bonnie's confused face. "Let me help you two out, let me get this straight for you. Welcome to the Mikaelson family, Lorenzo. I didn't think I'd still get to say this, to be honest. When you didn't show up…"

"Did you know my mother?" Enzo's non-sequitur confused only Bonnie. Klaus merely looked at him mildly, then walked over to a wooden cabinet, opened it, took three glasses out, balancing them expertly as he got a bottle of amber liquid out and placed them all on the mantle of his large fireplace.

While he poured the drinks, he half turned his back to the other two. "I wouldn't say 'know', no. In fact, before seeing you at the bar for the first time, I couldn't even be sure it was true, but," he turned back around, shoving a drink into Bonnie's, then Enzo's hands, "then I saw you, and you look so much like her…"

Enzo couldn't manage to say anything, he was squinting at the man, disbelief flickering in his eyes.

Klaus was sighing theatrically, flopping down on the couch facing a large row of French doors. "Be my guests. Please. Sit," he indicated the couch opposite his, and Bonnie looked to Enzo, uncertain and wary. When they both didn't move, Klaus rolled his eyes.

"Fine. Or you can stand. I heard that Eternals don't know what comfort is even if it presents itself right in front of them. But I would have bet that a young Golden woman knew better," he paused, grinning at them, watching as Bonnie put away her glass rather delicately without having taken one sip. He raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything about it.

"Did you just lure me here for some random family reunion?"

Klaus chuckled at Enzo's words, and waved a hand. "No, Lorenzo. I meant what I said. I want to destroy the sources of all evil. But for that I need to know where to find them, and there you come in. I did, however, choose _you_ because of our familial ties. Figured I'd be safest with someone I could potentially blackmail. And… when I found out that my dear mother's sister Dahlia had had a little too much… fun with someone high up in the food chain, when she had tried to run away from her fate as a bastard child of Silvergold parentage, I knew i had found my way into the inner circle of the knowledge I needed to gain."

Enzo clenched his jaw, and Bonnie frowned at him, worrying. She could tell that Klaus was telling the truth, that what he had just divulged, really was a piece of Enzo's heritage. Dahlia…

"See," Klaus went on obliviously, his drink already half gone as he put up his legs on the small wooden coffee table in front of him, "I take it you never really got to meet her, did you? Your mother?"

"Can't say I did, no…"

Klaus raised his eyebrows, looking at Enzo with something like sympathy. "I can sort of relate. My own mother, _Esther_ ," he stressed the name with contempt, not noticing the look Bonnie shot Enzo, "was not very present in my life, either, but at least in dear aunt Dahlia's case, she had always been a bit of a wild child, and when she encountered the wrong kind of man, who could blame her for running off again?" He grinned at Enzo sadly, but Enzo didn't see anything fun in what he had said.

"Esther is your mother?"

Klaus perked up, suddenly newly intrigued. "You've met her?"

Enzo clenched his jaw, nodding briefly, and Bonnie tightened her grip on his arm.

"The world is so small, isn't it?" Klaus said, chuckling in disbelief.

* * *

…

He offered them a place to stay, of course. He had business with them after all, and he didn't want them to get caught.

Being a Mikaelson, despite the problematic lineage, came with certain privileges that had nothing to do with heritage and all with money and wealth, and being able to buy any favors they wanted.

If your blood made you inferior in someone's eyes, you had to make up for it in other ways, and rather than seek hermit life like his failure of a mother, Klaus and his siblings had chosen to make a life in the cities, among the people whose heritage they mostly shared by now. A few generations later, they were almost completely Golden. Except for poor Lorenzo, of course, whose poor mother had simply made the wrong decision at some point.

Klaus chuckled to himself as he thought about it.

So it was really true. He could call an Eternal his cousin. If that didn't give him some leverage in some of his business dealings…

He sighed, remembering that he had set out to destroy that particular privilege.

They'd wait a day or two, or three, till the rumors in the city had died down a bit, till everyone would surely think the Eternal and the traitor girl had somehow already escaped town, then they'd sneak out and into the Outskirts.

An adventure was awaiting, and Klaus felt strangely exhilarated. Life had been boring lately, he was truly ready for something a little more… fun.

Ending the war would finally make his business endeavors safer, would make him richer, yet, and would thus better protect him. Maybe even gain him a partner, finally, a wife.

He couldn't wait. He had lost no less than ten loads within the last month alone, because of the stupid war.

It had to end.

It was time for the old oligarchies to sink and vanish into oblivion. It was time for a new empire.

For his.


	25. Toast and Jam

_Thanks as always to those following along and leaving feedback is especially appreciated._

 _deenew and Jade: can I just say: you're sweethearts!_

 _deenew: there MAY be a chance for Elijah to show up..._

 _Jade: aw, I'm glad you like him. I just kinda HAD to use him because I love his dynamics with Bonenzo. Glad you figured the Esther relation out! :)_

* * *

...

"Are you okay?"

Enzo had been staring out the big window of the guest room Klaus had allotted them for the better half of an hour, and Bonnie had finally had enough of the silence.

Upon hearing her voice, he turned toward her, eyes shuttered and dark, but with a slight curl of his lips that promised a smile.

"I'm sorry, love. I guess it was all just a little much," he muttered, and she quickly leaned in to hug him now that he finally seemed to allow it.

"You didn't really know your mom," she said, and it was not a question. The truth had been too obvious earlier.

He raised his eyebrows briefly, averting his gaze, but then looking back at her as if he'd noticed he was retreating again and wanted to do better by her.

"She left pretty quickly after I was born. I've always known she wanted to take me with her, but my father didn't let her. I never blamed her for leaving anyways. Last I heard, she had died just a few years after that. I was four at the time…" He trailed off, thinking.

"Did you know that she wasn't… solely a Silveren? I mean, even before what Esther said..."

He cocked his head, shrugging. "There were always rumors. Mostly spread by people not too fond of my father - and that's a whole lot of people," he grinned, "but no, for some stupid reason, I never really put two and two together, it was just… it didn't seem to make sense, you know. The way my father is? I still don't understand how he could have ever been with her. He's such a follower of keeping things "pure" and all Silveren."

"He's a hypocrite ," Bonnie said, "many people in powerful positions are. They put a different standard to others than to themselves."

"Yeah, I guess…"

She could tell that he was still very agitated about the whole situation, and since she had learned by then how he ticked, she offered him an out of sorts, something else to focus on for the moment.

"You'll show him a map of the Eternal sites, then? Klaus? Or what are you gonna do about his proposal? We shouldn't just trust him…"

Enzo made a face. "Of course not. I'll have him demonstrate his… skill set first, and then I'll go visit one of the nearer sites with him. If that works out, he'll get the rest."

Bonnie frowned at him, nestling with her clothes as she hopped into the gloriously luxurious bed, where he was already waiting, leaning against the cushioned headboard. She couldn't help but stare at his bare chest, bare arms, realizing that she hadn't really seen much of him in decent lighting for a very long time. He was so handsome, she just wanted to...

She shook her head to clear her thoughts, to focus.

"Demonstrate?" she asked, "How?"

He lifted his arm a little in reply, the dull sheen of the bandage still mesmerizing to her. She had to fight the odd urge to touch it, run her fingers over it. Had this been what he had been talking about with Klaus earlier? When she had seen them talk together, almost conspiratorially, while she had inspected their room.

Her frown deepened when his words sank in completely. "You're gonna let him perform whatever magic trick he claims he knows on _you_?! Enzo! _No_ ," she said firmly, shaking her head vehemently to underscore how serious she was.

"What choice do I have? If I'm not willing to let him try it out on me first, then I can't, in good conscience, have anyone else undergo his treatment."

Bonnie's lips moved. She wanted to say something, but she couldn't. She didn't know what there was to say, because he was right. Still, she hated that he was. In the end, she pressed her lips together and cuddled up with him, resting her head in the crook of his neck, absently stroking the side of his torso as a silence spread between them.

...

Soon, she realized that her fingers were fanning out, traveling across his body, mapping it, the scars, the muscles underneath. She felt the warmth of his naked skin, and it made her own skin tingle. She turned more toward him, her mouth finding his, her hand finding his cock hard and ready under the thick blanket covering them, and she went up its length, then down.

They didn't speak a word, they barely even moved much. It was the softest lovemaking she'd experienced in a very long time. Or had she ever?

His tongue traveled from her mouth down, flicked her nipples so tenderly, so slowly, until low moans escaped her, until she wanted more, and he gave it to her, his cock slipping in and out of her wetness, his hand in her hair, the other gripping hers, guiding it down, making her feel herself, touch herself, making her cum.

And as she did, the need to have him deep inside of her increased tenfold and she urged him on, clawing at his back to pull him closer, closer, and he resumed his gentle pace, almost making her go crazy, until she heard his breath shudder, his body shake with the force of orgasm, and even then, she still wanted more, couldn't let go. Needed to be one with him.

...

"I freaking love you, Bonnie Bennett," he breathed into her hair when they finally came to lay right next to each other, and she pulled him close yet again, whispering the same, "I freaking love you, Lorenzo St. John."

She didn't care that her hair was all over the place, her face flushed, her body sweaty. She didn't care anymore about the slight pregnancy bloat of her belly that she had been self conscious about just minutes before. She looked into his eyes and saw her reflection in them and his content, affectionate expression, so honest, so bare, and she felt like the sexiest, luckiest girl in the world.

And nothing else mattered.

* * *

…

"Good morning, my dear lovebirds." Klaus was munching on a piece of toast with butter and jam when Bonnie and Enzo walked down into the kitchen the next morning, half drunk from a sleep so good that they hadn't experienced it in months.

"Sit and eat with me. Have some tea, too," he said casually, grinning widely at them both, then pointing to a newspaper lying on the table in front of him.

Bonnie exchanged a glance with Enzo, then decided to sit down, because she was hungry, and toast sounded like a fantastic idea. Enzo's eyes flickered, then he sat down next to her.

"Says here they're looking for a traitor that smuggled an Eternal into the city," Klaus said, winking over at Bonnie, making her grimace. "I think they mean you, outstanding little Bonnie."

She glared at him, annoyed at his condescending undertone, but a light nudge under the table from Enzo made her refocus her attention to the food and the tea, and she calmed down again.

"So, Enzo-"

" _Nik_ ," Enzo interrupted him, a clear attempt at showing the other man they were at least equals, and Bonnie had to smile at how obvious it was. Klaus seemed to think it was amusing, too, and he started grinning wider.

"Once you've had something to eat, I'll take a look at that beautiful scar of yours and then… we shall see how it goes from there."

Bonnie's anticipation was getting the better of her. Suddenly, the toasted bread tasted stale in her mouth and she couldn't wait to get up and see what Klaus had in store to attempt to rid Enzo of his horrible legacy.

But when they were finally done eating and Klaus took them over to his so-called study toward the end of the house, she was soon to experience a horrible disappointment.

Klaus had taken out a large suitcase with what looked like medical supplies, and he'd beckoned Enzo to sit down on a chair opposite him.

"You'll have to take off the bandage, of course," he was saying now, and Bonnie, who stood by his side, shot a quick glance in his direction, communicating to Enzo, _If he tries anything, let me take on some of the pain._

 _Bonnie…_

 _I mean it. And I'll hold onto the bandage for you. Don't want him to get his hands on it._

Enzo half smiled at her for a second before he began to unravel his bandage expertly and quickly and his expression changed to a stoic mask, hiding the pain as best as he could. He handed Bonnie the bandage, staring at Klaus.

The other man nodded, taking out a pair of wire rimmed glasses, then he scooted over on his swivel chair. He inspected the scar, even going so far as to touch it, then poke it with what looked to be a scalpel and Bonnie was ready to throw herself at him to make him stop, but Enzo shook his head at her, the pain more evident in his face now.

 _Let him finish it..._

Bonnie was not happy about it, but she gave the smallest of nods and waited. _But if he doesn't get it over with quickly, I_ will _step in,_ she told Enzo, and he smiled a pained smile at her.

After a couple of minutes, Klaus took off his glasses and tossed them on a desk behind him, looking frustrated.

"You can put the bandage back on," he said, and Bonnie quickly gave it back to Enzo, helping him wrap it around his arm.

She squinted at Klaus while doing so, similar frustration in her features. Somehow, she had thought he'd try to do something a little more… grandiose, impressive, but he had done nothing, really.

"So, what now?" She asked, because Enzo was still too busy fighting down the pain.

Klaus' lips moved as he seemed to think about his answer. Something wasn't right, Bonnie realized, something was not working according to plan. But what?

"You said you met my mother." It was a statement, but Bonnie could hear the question behind the words.

"Yes," she answered warily, not sure what he was trying to get at.

Klaus rolled his eyes, then rubbed a hand over them, suddenly standing up with a loud clang as he sent his chair flying against the desk in anger.

"She gave you my grandfather's weapon, didn't she? You put it on?"

Enzo was finally back in the conversation, standing up from his chair now, too. "It wasn't exactly my choice," he muttered, his voice very quiet, and Klaus' eyes darkened at hearing him, then he nodded, as if he suddenly understood something.

"They made you."

"Kinda had a bit of a situation there…" Enzo wasn't looking at him, or Bonnie. He was holding his arm awkwardly, and Bonnie stepped closer to him to make him focus on something else. Her touch. He turned to face her, gratefulness in his features. And sadness.

"Yeah, I could see that," Klaus nodded absently, rubbing a temple with the palm of his hand. "Had a bit of a… spreading problem there, didn't you? Been too long without a weapon?"

"Got taken from me. Should potentially still be around here somewhere…"

Klaus sighed, then looked at Enzo. He walked over to him, really closely, and Enzo took a cautious step back when Klaus put his hands on his shoulders, looking him straight in the eyes. Enzo was bristling under the unexpected touch but calmed down quickly when he saw the sincereness in Klaus' face.

"My bloody mother and her bloody shortsighted ideas. I mean, I'm glad that she could help you, but… unfortunately she has jeopardized your chance at healing." Klaus pressed his lips together, looking genuinely unhappy.

"You said-," Bonnie began, but he didn't let her finish.

"I know what I said. This, however, is a problem. Someone who bore an Old One can't be cured."

"What?! Why? He only wore it for a few days, he-"

Klaus shook his head at her, then turned his attention to Enzo. "If you still want a demonstration, we'll need another Eternal, I'm afraid. I'm sorry, my friend. But the damage of the Old Ones… is on a whole other level, nothing I can heal. At least not yet. Maybe one day…"

Enzo nodded, and while Bonnie was shocked and felt terribly sad for him, he took the news in stride and she realized that he had never quite believed he would get to live without the scar, without what the Old One had turned back into an open wound, anyways.

 _I'm so sorry, babe_ , Bonnie told him, her hand finding his again, and he smiled at her.

 _It's alright, love. I can live with it. The new bandage is so much more effective, and I've really become accustomed to the sensation of pain through the last decade, so…_

He trailed off, focusing back on Klaus. Enzo looked at him challengingly. "That's alright, Nik. _If_ you can show me you can even do what you claim to be able to. I may have another candidate to test your treatment on, but you'll have to come with us. With no guarantee you can come back…"

Enzo's eyes flickered, and Klaus seemed to think the questionable offer through for a few moments. Then he broke into a grin and said, "I'm ready. Fine. Just tell me I get to pay my dear mother a visit, and I'm on board."

"If she's still where we last found her…"

"It's a deal then. We'll start with one Eternal, and take the rest from there." Klaus patted Enzo on the shoulder, then smirked at Bonnie. "But first, you told me the lady needed to see someone, so let's wait till tonight before we leave. Her guest will be here soon, and then…," he sighed, suddenly sounding a little regretful, "I can get my people to get us out of the city unnoticed."

"My guest?" Bonnie repeated, completely puzzled.

Klaus took her hand, like a gentleman, placing a kiss right above the back of it, and she felt his breath briefly hovering.

"I'll let Lorenzo have this moment," he said, smirking, then nodded and made to leave the room. "Now excuse me, while I have some personal business to attend, travel arrangements, et cetera…"

Once he had left the study, Bonnie turned to Enzo with a frown. "What is he talking about? Guest?

"You said you wanted to see your Grams again," Enzo reminded her, and she felt her knees weaken, like some stupid cliché. Her mouth suddenly felt dry. She didn't know what to say.

"I'm sorry for uprooting your life so much, Bonnie Bennett. The least I could do was try and use our connection to one of the most influential men of this city to our advantage."

She smiled at him, unable to hold back tears.

She would get to see her Grams again, one last time.

Because she was leaving, and this time, she knew she wasn't going to return...


	26. Saying goodbye

_Thanks, as always, to Jade and deenew, and anyone reading. I hope it's a little fun for you. :)_

 _Jade: ya, that was a tough moment for all of them for sure. Let's see how the meeting with Grams goes..._

 _Happy to announce that I have the raw version of this story finished now. A bit of editing will be needed, but I should hopefully have a new chapter for each of the remaining few days of October. :)_

* * *

…

"Bonnie..."

The old woman was still wearing a long woolen coat, but already holding a hat and scarf in her hands. It was very warm in the Mikaelson mansion, warmer than she was used to. Certainly warmer than the world outside that was still trapped in the claws of a never ending winter.

She felt herself inflate as she exhaled with a deep sigh, and Bonnie came running toward her.

"My child," she mumbled into Bonnie's hair, as her grandchild embraced her so fiercely that she felt the breath being pressed out of her lungs. "Easy now." She chuckled lightly as the girl - or young woman, she should say - eventually let go of her with an apologetic grin and shiny eyes.

"I've missed you so much," Bonnie muttered, swallowing a sob, and Grams swept away a few strands of Bonnie's beautiful hair, taking her in, happy to see she looked healthy, a soft sheen on her cheeks.

"I was worried about you, child. I almost didn't come when that strange man showed up to tell me I was expected here." She paused, her mouth a thin line.

"I'm so sorry, for everything," Bonnie hung her head, "and for forcing you to this secrecy, but I'm-"

"A wanted woman, I know. Elena came by my house yesterday."

Bonnie gasped. "Did she… did she do anything to you?"

Grams shook her head, gently cupping Bonnie's chin briefly, before she finally opened her large coat and followed Bonnie deeper into the house that was a palace.

"She was very friendly," Grams told her granddaughter, seeing the young woman close her eyes with relief. "Just an old concerned friend inquiring about you… of course I didn't believe her one bit. I'm old, but not blind. I've heard and seen the news. They said you're on the run after bringing an Eternal into our city." She scoffed, rolling her eyes, "I never once believed a word of it. And I'm so glad to see you alright, Bonnie."

Bonnie swallowed, looking at her rather uncomfortably and she frowned at her. By then they had sat down on a luxuriously soft couch, and Grams wondered whether she'd be able to get back up and off of it without help. She had sunk in so deeply.

"Actually, Grams…"

Bonnie trailed off, worrying her lip like she had often done as a little girl when she had felt guilty about something or other.

"Spit it out, child. It's why I'm here, isn't it? So that we finally get a chance to talk. So that you can tell me about your incomplete bond with an enemy soldier, so that you can tell me that you'd never turn traitor, despite anything anyone is saying out there." Grams looked at her challengingly, suspiciously now. She still didn't believe Bonnie could ever betray her home, could ever willingly bond with an Eternal of all people, but she also knew that Bonnie _had_ accidentally linked herself to one of them, and she was worried what new trauma it might have caused.

She had had many a sleepless night over it, worrying about Bonnie all alone out there, in the hands of a monster. At his mercy. Like her own daughter and husband before had been at the mercy of one of the Eternals and the monster had shown that the concept was completely foreign to them.

Bonnie opened her mouth. "You'll be so disappointed, but-"

"Why don't you give me a chance first?"

"The news… they're not completely wrong. Though the Eternal in question - _my_ Eternal," Bonnie gave her a pointed look, yet Grams was still terribly shocked at the way she had said those words - _my Eternal_...

Then Bonnie continued, and she was in for yet another surprise. "He smuggled himself in to free me. We had run into a troop of soldiers a few days ago, and me going with them, it was the only way to lead them away from where he and his friends were hiding. Grams…"

The old woman squinted at her. "This does not at all sound like you were forced-"

"I wasn't." The statement was short and said firmly, and Grams didn't know what to say to that, what to think.

"An Eternal, Bonnie?" She eventually said, and Bonnie nodded at her.

"There's more. Grams… I'm… I love him, and I… we're having a baby. We're… trying to end the war, to bring an end to the Eternal weapons. There's-"

"Stop." Grams pushed herself off the way too fluffy couch, hating the piece of furniture with a passion she knew stemmed from a different kind of hatred all together.

"Please. Let me explain-"

"They killed your parents, Bonnie," she hissed exasperatedly, disbelievingly.

"He's different. Enzo is-"

She waved her hand. She wasn't ready to hear it. She couldn't…

Her grandchild was pregnant with the baby of a Silveren Eternal. Of all the nice suitable men she had picked _him_?!

"Did he rape you?"

"What?!" Bonnie looked shocked, face flushing. "No! No. Oh geez, Grams, no…"

"Because that's the only way I could understand you being pregnant with a monster's spawn."

Her words sounded cold, hateful. She was listening to herself and cringing at how hurtful she was, yet she couldn't stop. This was her granddaughter, whom she had raised like her own child when her parents had been slaughtered, tortured to death.

Bonnie's cheeks were lined by traces of tears when she next looked at her. Grams had buttoned her coat back up and put on her scarf and hat.

"Bonnie… I hope you are happy, I really do, but… I just can't understand this. _You_. Is it… did the bond corrupt you that much? Is that it? Did you forget what your parents went through, what _you_ went through?"

Suddenly, Bonnie's face changed into something more stoic, hard, all softness gone. And Grams froze inwardly, wary.

"You were the one to teach me not to judge people by whatever they are called or known as. _You_ taught me to keep an open mind - and open heart. It was all you. And I did. Did I surprise myself? Was I shocked? Did I want it to stop? Did I want to hate him? Yes! Oh my gosh, yes! It would have made things so much easier. But," she glared at Grams with so much fight that the older woman suddenly felt strangely proud of her. "I liked him. He was never bad to me, not once. Not even when we were still enemies. Nobody hates what he is more than he does. - You know what his mission was before I connected with him and he got caught? To find someone to get rid of the Eternal sources, for good. Get rid of the weapons. He was always good. Better than anyone I've known out here. I had just hoped _you_ would understand."

With that, Bonnie walked past her, new tears falling, and Grams felt a pang in her heart.

Those words… they had gotten to her.

"Bonnie, wait!" She called out, just in time before her granddaughter was out of reach, and she was glad when she saw the girl stop, though not turning around. Grams made her way over to her as quickly as her legs carried her, and positioned herself right in front of the younger one, extending a hand to gently wipe away her tears.

"I'm sorry, child. I'm… so sorry. Why don't we try this again. Sit back down, and I will listen. This time, I want to hear it all. From the beginning.

To her relief, Bonnie took her up on the offer after a long moment of utter silence and tension, and they walked together, back to the couch, where she'd sit for an hour, just listening, holding Bonnie's hand, hearing her whole story… and finally understanding.

* * *

…

Bonnie was getting ready for bed when Enzo came back from Klaus' study, where the two men had poured over maps and plans for hours, trying to come up with the best route to get to their destination, the settlement. Trying, hoping to locate Cole there and then continue on from there to the first Eternal source.

She was combing her hair out, something she hadn't been able to do in a long time, when he came up behind her, pushing the curls to the side to bare her neck and kiss her.

"How did it go, love?" He asked, his voice warm and raspy, and she grabbed his arm and clung to it, feeling so much better already.

She tilted her head, looking at them both in the mirror for a moment, before she turned around to lean against him.

"That bad?"

She huffed and rolled her eyes. "You have no idea. It was," she was looking for a fitting word and settled on, "work." She gave a small chuckle.

"The old lady wasn't too fond of having an Eternal steal away her little girl, was she?"

"That's putting it mildly."

They clung to each other for a few more minutes, then slowly disentangled, and Enzo went on to take off his clothes, get ready for bed too. It was very late, and they'd have to leave before dawn broke if they wanted to make it out of the city like they had planned.

When he was done, he walked over to her side of the bed, laying a hand on her stomach lightly, bending down to speak to their baby. "And how are you?" he whispered, then came up to kiss Bonnie, who found herself ridiculously happy about his cheesiness regarding their child.

"Tiny made me queasy today. I'm sure that also didn't help matters with my grams." Bonnie sighed, and he grimaced in sympathy.

"I'm sorry, love…"

"Ugh. She was just so… full of hate there for a while."

"For a while? Does that mean you worked it out eventually?"

"Had to throw a few of her own words back at her, but yeah." She smiled. "After all, she was the one who got me back out of that hole after my parents… after they'd died. She reminded me that one monster among humans didn't make them all so. That there was still love to find for me out there, in unexpected places. And… she couldn't have been more right." She grinned awkwardly, then let herself fall onto her pillow. "I'm just glad we didn't end it on bad terms because… I probably won't ever see her again, and that knowledge already hurts too much as it is."

There was nothing for Enzo to say to make it any better, any easier, so he simply pulled her close to him and held her, just held her, until she fell asleep and his own breathing eventually evened out, too.

* * *

…

By the time dawn's colorful light began warming the cold air around them, they had already made it out of the city.

Thanks to Klaus' fantastic connections and his ridiculous wealth, they had had no trouble whatsoever to pass the guards in a fancy horse carriage. A cursory glance inside had been all the examination they had gotten. Bonnie and Enzo had been hiding under a false floor, and when they had gotten far enough away from the city, Klaus had finally stopped the carriage to allow them to come out and sit up front with him.

By then, Bonnie had been feeling sore and tired, and ready for a break, but of course that would have to wait until a much later time.

They had to make way first, had to reach one of the settlements by nightfall so that their horses could rest, _they_ could rest.

"You think they'll still be there?" She asked Enzo, biting into a boring carrot as she did, the loud noise making her feel self conscious and awkward around Klaus. But the man merely grinned at her, then tapped his hat.

"Sorry about the carrots," he said, but dear Enzo told me we'd have to make sure you get a healthy diet and can't just live off of stale bread for the duration of our trip. Seeing as you're with child…"

 _With child…_ Bonnie glared at Enzo, rolling her eyes, and he chuckled.

"Oh, by all means, please don't mind me. I'm just a lowly half-Golden who never managed to establish a bond. I'll just sit over here and steer the horses in the right direction…"

 _I think he's jealous._

Enzo cocked his head, shrugging. _Just because, for once, it's something he can't simply buy himself…_

Out loud, he said, "Caroline said they were contemplating leaving, but with everything going on, it seemed almost smarter for them to stay put. Especially seeing as people will be looking for a rogue Eternal - on both sides…"

Bonnie nodded, her throat closing a bit at the thought. Despite the ease with which they had escaped the city, she knew they were still in danger…

"Oh bloody hell," Enzo suddenly hissed, signaling to Klaus to look to his right, and both men exchanged a glance that Bonnie caught and that made her skin crawl.

Whatever they had spotted, it was nothing good. When she followed Enzo's gaze, she finally saw what he had seen. A group of riders, their Golden uniforms easily discernible in the light of day.

"Halt!" A distant voice called out, and Klaus dutifully reined in the horses, making them slow down, then stop, as the riders quickly approached.

 _We gotta hide._

Enzo made an unhappy face. _Too late, they've already seen us._

Bonnie bit her lip. How had they not seen them coming? They hadn't gotten very far. If there was a Bonded among the group of soldiers, they would never be able to escape.

Her heart almost gave out when she saw the first rider and she tried to shrink back behind Klaus to remain invisible.

"What's going on, sir?" Klaus was just asking, but the man didn't seem to want to give a reply, instead, he made his horse get closer to the carriage and then he leaned in.

"Bonnie Bennett."

There was disappointment in his voice, and Bonnie wondered how that could even be. He didn't care about her anymore, or did he? Maybe he was just disappointed about the fact that a Golden was fleeing with an enemy soldier.

Enzo had stood up quickly, trying to shield her, and Bonnie saw the weapon blazing on his arm as he hopped of the carriage and in front of the group of soldiers.

"Holy shit," one of them hissed as they all had to work hard to keep their distraught horses in check, but their leader didn't budge.

"Damon," Enzo said, voice level, and he raised his chin, standing up tall, staring at the other man on his horse. He knew that despite being on foot, despite not having a firearm, despite being at a considerable disadvantage, he was still a force to be reckoned with, something to be feared.

And although Bonnie's revulsion against the weapon was strong, Enzo's whole stance turned her on in some awkward, awful, startling way. He exuded a cocky self confidence she had never really seen before, only glimpsed, and it was admittedly... hot.

"Enzo." Damon's eyes flickered, his arm gave an involuntary shiver. "I take it you two won't come back with me peacefully?"

Bonnie wasn't just going to sit there and wait. Klaus tried to hold her back, but she shrugged him off and climbed off the carriage to come to stand beside Enzo, pointedly looking at Damon with the same amount of defiance.

"Major Salvatore," she said, "You'll have to kill us to bring us back there, but I'm still holding out hope that you'll remember what you once believed in. That you'll remember who you were. Who I was…."

He inclined his head, looking at her mildly, making her angry just by doing that. "Ms. Bennett. I don't have to kill you to bring you back. Just severely wound you, and your dear Eternal will do as I say, or try and run, sacrificing you. In either case, you'll live as long as he plays along. If he doesn't, we will kill you first, then him."

Bonnie sniffed, anger taking hold of her. "It's hard to mourn someone when they're seemingly still right there, looking you in the eyes," she told him, "but I guess now I know Damon really is gone."

He squinted at her. "If you're trying to push my buttons, make me feel sympathy for you, it's not worth the effort."

"I'm not trying anything. I'm simply saying goodbye."

"You people are tedious," Klaus abruptly stood up and yawned, moving a hand up to cover his mouth, which led one of the soldiers to suddenly shoot.

Damon was yelling something.

Klaus was ducking.

Enzo pushed Bonnie to the floor and toward the carriage, then got up again, shielding her, blazing sword-like weapon up in the air.

Bonnie was breathing too fast, panicking. Had someone been hit? Was it all going to end right there?

Her baby.

Her baby…

Someone yelled again, another shot was fired, she heard a harsh noise, like metal scraping metal, and she saw Enzo fall to his knees, then heavily get up again.

"We need him alive, dammit!" Damon…

Then she saw feet on the ground, men fighting. Saw the weapon… saw silvery blood…

Enzo's face as he looked to her as if making sure she was out of harm's way. There was blood on his temple where a bullet had grazed him.

Then everything halted for a long moment, and by the end of it, Bonnie stood right in front of Damon, still sitting on his stupid horse, and her arms were wide as she tried to stand right over Enzo, who was staring up at her as if she was very far away, and she heard someone yell, "stop!" And she knew it was her own voice, even though it felt like it came from somewhere far away.

"Stop! Damon! Let us go. We're trying to end this fucking war. Please! Please! Don't do it! Don't…"

He was holding a gun. It had always been him, the one with the firearm. It was half hidden under his uniform jacket. She remembered the saying to not bring a knife to a gunfight, but since there were so few in existence, it had lost its meaning.

Now though, now she understood why.

Damon looked at her coldly, finally jumping down to stand in front of her, nudging Enzo's bleeding arm with the tip of his gun, making him suck in air, while his men, the two that were still standing, stepped aside a little, giving him room.

"Your Eternal just killed another few of our men. Are you honestly telling me you want me to spare him - and you - because you are on a mission to bring… peace?" He scoffed.

"Yes." She shot a glance down at Enzo, who was shaking his head at her. For some reason, she couldn't communicate with him at all, the barriers were all up, hers, his… She felt frozen in time. Alone. Near a panic attack.

"Remember the girl you told that the war wouldn't last forever? That all Eternals would one day be gone?"

Damon cocked his head, eyeing her.

"You gave her hope, Damon Salvatore. Something to keep going. And now that hope has brought me here. It can become true, Damon. If you let us go. If any of your former self, of the kind cocky, sweet and caring man is still in you, let us go. What would you lose? Just two prisoners you'd have to watch getting tortured. But what you - what _we_ can gain, is a world without this war. Peace. For your mind, too. That last little part of you that will always be yours." She paused, looking him square in the eyes. "Will you let us go?"

...

And Damon nodded.


	27. Profit

_Thanks, dear readers! Special thanks today go out to Jamix: happy to have you "join" this journey - at least for the first half. :) All your feedback is greatly appreciated and I'm so happy I could provide some entertainment for your trip home._

 _Happy to know you're reading in the back there, kpmindc!_

 _Thanks deenew and Jade for always being here!_

 _deenew: here Damon was just "stronger" because he had a firearm... Enzo IS stronger in my head canon, too. :)_

 _Jade: aw, thanks so much. We'll find out now what exactly happened... So glad you like this story._

 _That any of you get even a bit of enjoyment out of this truly makes me so happy!_

* * *

...

Her breath left in a shudder, a tension falling away from her that she hadn't known had held her body in its grip. Her legs began shaking, her lips, too.

She stood, like a wavering rod, trying to not sway too much as she watched him ride away.

It was then that she noticed the wolf had appeared by her side again, out of nowhere, out of thin air, because how else could he have followed them all the way out there?

She couldn't move for a minute or two, maybe more. The wolf nuzzled her gently with his snout as she watched Damon turn around one last time to look at her, tapping against his heart with his hand, nodding. Then he was off. Gone.

Damon Salvatore was truly gone. She'd never see him again. There was no coming back from this for him, she knew it. He'd remembered. He'd remembered more than he should have, and he'd acted on it.

He'd sacrificed his life. They all knew it.

…

After he'd nodded to her, agreeing to spare them, his second in command had given him an incredulous look. "Major, what the hell-"

Bonnie flinched as the memory replayed itself in her head. How the words had gotten cut off as Damon's gun had gone off again, a shot to the head killing the unsuspecting man instantly. And then, not a second later, the last two remaining men had also fallen, and it had grown so eerily calm and quiet.

A shiver raked her body. The dog nudged her, as if he was concerned. She startled, suddenly remembering where she was, what had happened, and she quickly pulled herself together, scooting over to where Enzo still lay on the ground, wide eyed and breathing erratically. When she knelt down right next to him, a new old panic spreading its dark wings inside of her, she smiled at him, barely able to hide the pain and fear in that expression.

His arm, his hand went up to touch her face, swiping away a trail of fresh tears on her cheek.

"Don't die on me now, Lorenzo St. John," she choked out and he smiled at her, a chuckle never quite making it out of his throat.

"I don't intend to, love, I'm… I'll be fine. I just… need a moment. Those bloody bullets went right through the freaking weapon, my… arm." He looked at her in disbelief, and she gingerly moved to try and do something for him, when Klaus appeared by her side, visibly shaken, but otherwise seemingly unharmed, and ready to help.

He shook his head, making a face. "Got yourself a nice new body hole there, Enzo," he said, winking and Enzo rolled his eyes. He was trying to get up, but Klaus pushed him back down, not hard, but firmly. "I'd suggest you stay down till I've taken a look at you," he shot Bonnie a glance, and she understood. She gently took Enzo's other arm and held it, looking at him imploringly.

"That bloke… friend of yours?" Klaus asked Bonnie, and she clicked her tongue. She wasn't ready for easy conversation, especially not if it involved Damon.

...

"Come with us," she had urged him, stupidly. Because of course he couldn't.

"If I did, I'd jeopardize all your plans, Bon Bon," he'd said, and she'd gasped at hearing him use that old nickname. She had thought it had been eradicated along with most everything else of him. "No," he'd continued, "there's only one way I'll be going now…"

He had left it open, but she had seen it in his eyes. She had known. There was no coming back from what he had done. And since reprogramming hadn't worked well enough… She couldn't think about it; she had to stop right there.

"This is goodbye then," she had whispered, and he had nodded.

"Goodbye Bonnie Bennett. I hope the world will be a better one for you."

"Goodbye, Damon…" She had smiled at him, one last time, then she'd said, "Thank you."

"Thank _you_. You set me free…"

And off he'd ridden. Though not into the sunset, but into something much darker. Much more final than just the end of a day.

The end of a life...

...

Now she was kneeling on the cold ground, holding Enzo, pulling him onto her lap when Klaus told them he'd have to try and extricate the bullets because they were fusing the weapon to Enzo's arm. He didn't need to tell them that that wasn't optimal.

"This is not gonna be fun, is it?" Enzo quipped as Klaus gave him a bottle of bourbon, ordering him to drink up. The other man rolled his eyes at him.

"How very observant of you," Klaus said, getting his instruments ready, the ones Bonnie had already seen him unpack back at his study, and she grimaced a little. Klaus was no doctor, so she didn't feel overly confident about him doing what he was about to do, but it wasn't exactly like they had much of a choice.

"No screaming, Mr. Eternal. There could be more troops out here, people coming home to the city. We don't want to alert anyone to us being here, and one of us being in distress."

Bonnie glared at him, and Enzo grimaced. "Understood, Nik. Now why don't you just-"

Enzo didn't get further than that because right then Klaus dug into his arm with what looked like a pair of tweezers and all Enzo could do was clench his jaw and close his eyes and try to breathe through the pain that exploded into a million sharp pieces inside of him.

His body convulsed of its own accord and Bonnie tried to place both hands on him, one on his chest, one against the side of his face, to calm him down as best as possible.

 _It'll be over soon, Enzo_ , she told him, opening her barriers wide, letting the pain in that he was incapable of channeling or holding back. She began shaking. Klaus shot her an alarmed, curious glance, but she tried to smile and bit out, "Hope you're done soon…"

"Almost there, love. Almost there."

"Don't call me that."

"What?" He grinned, then resumed his task, "love?"

"Ya," Bonnie huffed. She didn't even know why she had started this stupid conversation. She should have just ignored it, but she needed something to keep her mind off of dwelling on the pain, off of worrying about Enzo...

Klaus smirked, without looking up to her, he fished out a deformed projectile and squinted at it against the daylight. "It's just a word, a term of endearment," he casually said.

"And that's why I don't want to hear _you_ calling me that…"

"Oh, I see. Is that Enzo's prerogative? I get it, love." Klaus interrupted himself, chuckling, "Excuse me, _Bonnie_. - Alright," he looked at his handiwork. "One down, one to go. How are you holding up, Lorenzo?"

Bonnie grimaced. "He won't be replying," she told him, tightening her grip on Enzo.

"He's out then?"

When she nodded, he sighed, looking relieved. "That's good. I would have considered hitting him over the head or something because the next part is not gonna be fun, but you know how those Eternals are, bloody fast reflexes. He'd have probably knocked me out before I could have succeeded. - Anyways…"

Bonnie felt herself zone out. Between Enzo's pain and Klaus' sonorous voice, between her own mental exhaustion and the weighing memories of her last encounter with Damon, she was just too overwhelmed.

Something dragged her down, under. She didn't have the strength to fight it anymore.

* * *

…

She only realized she must have passed out for a bit herself when she opened her eyes to look into Enzo's face. He was staring down at her, the beginnings of a smile visible only around his eyes, and she frowned at the fact that it should have been the other way around: her looking down at him.

She turned to the sides, assessing her situation, and noticed that she was laying in the carriage, on a few nice warm blankets.

"The lady up?" she heard Klaus call from up front, where he was apparently already steering them on their way. Her dog, her _wolf_ was sitting next to him, looking out onto the vast world ahead of them, briefly looking over to Bonnie, then back.

Bonnie had the impression that she had missed a scene or two of the movie that was her life and she shot Enzo a puzzled glance before trying to sit up.

"Easy, love," he said, helping her, slowing her too fast movements, and he grimaced a little as he did.

"How are you up and I'm not?" she asked, a little exasperated at the seeming impossibility of the situation, and he chuckled. She was finally leaning against a bench in the back, and Enzo slumped down next to her, holding his arm close to his body.

So that part was true. He had gotten hurt, and she had tried to-

"It's my fault. You really can't take on any of my pain any more..."

Her brow furrowed. "It was just so intense, it was kinda just… there, so I felt like I had to. I couldn't let you go through that on your own."

His features darkened. He laid an arm around her and pulled her close to him, kissing the top of her head. "I'm sorry, love. I wish I had kept it a little better under control."

It was her turn to chuckle. "Still can't cut yourself any slack, can you?" He rolled his eyes, and she continued to explain as if talking to someone rather dense, "You were unconscious, Enzo, it was out of your hands. - How are you doing anyway? I'm sorry I passed out on you. I had been meaning to be there for you, for when you wake up…"

He smiled. "Better now that you are up. I was worried about you…"

"And I was worried about _you_." She smiled at him, leaning her head against his, "Aren't we cute."

"I think we really are…"

She allowed herself to enjoy the moment for a few minutes, then she sat a little more upright, taking a peek at his arm. Enzo was still sitting in the same position, eyes closed.

"Did he do a good job?"

"Me?" Klaus piped up from his seat, "I did a phenomenal job, lov-," he caught himself, grinning back at her, " _Bonnie_. Your Eternal will be as good as new in no time. Just couldn't salvage the weapon. But I take it it's a loss nobody regrets…" He smirked at them both, then returned his attention toward the road ahead, absently patting the wolf's head, but not without saying, "I'll pretend the moment he told me to just cut off the arm never happened…"

Bonnie gave Enzo a look, and he rolled his eyes at her, not denying it.

"Yeah, well," he admitted, "bloody thing has caused me nothing but pain, not gonna apologize for-"

"I wasn't gonna judge you," Bonnie whispered, smiling, kissing his cheek and cuddling up more again, "but I'm still glad he didn't do as you asked. - Is it better now?"

"That old bandage really is… something else. I can see now why they got rid of the older model of that, too, along with the Old Ones. Without the pain being as bad, they could have never gotten us to strap on those bloody weapons."

"I thought about it," Klaus chimed in again, his voice sounding like he still was in thought, "If the initial plan fails, I want to try and see whether I can't at least reproduce those better quality bandages."

"Why are you really doing all this?" Bonnie suddenly asked, still not trusting that rich Mikaelson and his claimed humane motives. "Out of the goodness of your heart?"

Klaus chuckled. "I'm a businessman, Bonnie Bennett. I don't do anything solely out of the goodness of my heart. There has to be a gain for me in it somewhere."

"Oh ya? What a surprise," she rolled her eyes at Enzo, making him shrug.

 _I honestly don't care about his motives, as long as he's helping us, he's helping us fight that war._

 _I know. I'm still curious. I want to know what we're up against in case he, I don't know, turns against us._

Addressing Klaus again, she asked, "And what gain would that be?"

"Money, of course." He didn't even need to think about that answer. "Money has always kept me safe. - It's all you can do when your blood makes you an inferior - or shall I say, less favorable person. Money can buy you respect, and freedom, it can buy you everything you want."

Bonnie shook her head. "So ending this war just means profit for you?"

"In a way… It'll mean people will want to spend money again, money on what I got to offer. War makes commerce a hard business, unless you're an arms dealer - which I'm not…"

"Money can't buy everything, though," Bonnie mumbled, more to herself, but Klaus picked up on it anyway.

"I know, love. But I'm trying to fool myself into thinking it does…"

There was nothing Bonnie could - or wanted to - say in return, and they all fell silent. She was just glad that Enzo was doing alright, all things considered, and she counted her lucky stars that they had made it out of it alive.

Their next stop would have to be the settlement, not exactly a very safe place either.

Would they find peace out there, though?

Or would they _bring_ it?


	28. The procedure

_Just another quick word of thanks, especially to deenew, Jade, and Jamix._

 _deenew: so I'm thinking Bonnie is still around first trimester, heading into the second._

 _Jade: oh, I know. Damon - and Delena - was my first favorite (before I fell in love with Caroline and Bonnie. lol And then with Enzo, and Bonenzo. And now I'm admittedly all over the place and can picture a lot of couples and all.)_

 _But ya, part of me didn't want to do this to Damon because of that. But I "had to," for the story..._

 _Jamix: aw, I know. It was admittedly hard to write Damon's fate like that. He did do a very noble thing, his motives were always good, just the execution wasn't... But I like to think that in the end he did get that freedom, just how he told Bonnie._

 _Thanks so much also for the kind words. I realize that Benzo isn't as popular as Klaroline, Bamon, or Delena. Or even the OC insert fics. But I'm happy that I get feedback at all. I never thought I'd get to see 80 reviews for this. Honestly, I'm super happy with that._

 _Plus, I'm sure the weird summary doesn't help matters. lol_

 _And I know that reviewing takes effort and time so I appreciate each and every single one. :) So, thank you!_

* * *

…

It had gotten a little warmer, finally. Bonnie only noticed it now that they were spending their second night out in the open, giving their horses time to rest, giving themselves time, too.

She lay cuddled up with Enzo in the carriage, while Klaus - out of some random burst of selflessness, had taken on "first shift" and was now looking out into the night.

Enzo was for once already sleeping, a sure sign that he wasn't doing as well as he had tried to make her believe, but Klaus had checked on the arm earlier and assured her that it wasn't looking any worse, and she believed him.

Suddenly, the dog that had lain on the other side of her, stirred, looking over to where Klaus sat by a small fire, then he looked at Bonnie as if to ask for her permission to go over there.

"You want to keep him company?" She asked, smiling at the animal. "Go," she then said, and the dog went out, only to look more like a wolf again once he was out there, carefully approaching Klaus.

She watched them both for a bit, how familiar they seemed, sitting together, staring at the flames, into the night, then she curled up once more, snaking her arms around Enzo, holding him, until Klaus came to wake them both up, hours later.

* * *

…

He'd given them the night. He'd seen how exhausted the girl was, how drawn her face had looked. He'd seen how his stranger of a cousin had flinched when he'd accidentally bumped into him earlier. Klaus had simply known he was the one in the best condition and if he wanted their mission - _his_ mission - to be a success, he figured it couldn't hurt to take on a little more of the burden for one night.

With any luck, they'd make good way the next day and could potentially even reach the town, or settlement, Enzo had indicated on the map before it got too dark.

Bonnie's strange wolf-dog had provided good company, even waking him up once when he'd fallen asleep for a dangerous moment. A moment he wouldn't tell anyone about…

With a sigh, he stood up and walked over to the carriage. It was time. Dawn would arrive soon and they needed to get on their way.

* * *

…

They had been on the road for a while. Bonnie had felt much better after a night of sleep, but she could tell how agitated Enzo was. He had not liked it when he'd realized what Klaus had done, but Bonnie had told him to swallow his pride and be grateful, and he'd given her a look and moped for a moment, but then he'd grudgingly admitted that she was right, and Klaus had been right, because he _was_ feeling better, and now here they were, the settlement finally coming into view on the horizon.

There was a chance that Caroline and Cole had gone on their way and left. Enzo had told Klaus as much when they had made their plans, but the man had been willing to risk it, anyway.

Bonnie had to wonder what he really saw in this trip. An adventure? Something that made him feel alive? He had been putting on a facade ever since they had first met him, like he didn't have a care in the world.

But she had quickly realized that the opposite was true. That he was lonely, that there was something deeper hidden inside of him, something he played away with cocky aloofness. She had to wonder how his relationship with his family really was, when he had seen Esther last.

Whether he had anyone…

"I guess we should wake him up," Enzo quietly said from where he sat next to her, holding the reins in one hand, his injured arm hidden under his coat.

Bonnie nodded and made her way to the back, carefully shaking the man awake. He startled, looking up at her confused. For a moment she was sure he had no clue who she was. Then a flicker went through his eyes, and clarity returned.

"Hello, Bonnie Bennett," he muttered, and she tried to be friendly, though she hadn't exactly warmed up to him. For some reason the fact that her wolf had taken a liking to him made her feel like he deserved a bit of her kindness. She hoped she wouldn't come to regret it.

"We're almost there," she informed him, pointing toward the front.

"Your settlement…"

Bonnie wanted to correct him, say that it wasn't "theirs," but it didn't matter, and she knew he didn't mean anything by it, so she simply nodded, then went back to sit beside Enzo, wrapping an arm around him under his coat.

"You think they'll still be there?" She asked him, and he shrugged.

"Hard to say. Staying would not exactly have been a safe choice, but… I know Caroline. She has a sense of duty - and entitlement. She is quick to form bonds with people, and she's fiercely loyal. I have a feeling she stayed." Enzo looked at her briefly, an unreadable expression on his face.

"Are you okay, babe?" Bonnie cupped his cheek for a moment, frowning at him. Then it dawned on her. "You're worried about bringing them into this, aren't you? That it might endanger them?"

He pressed his lips together in reply, not saying anything.

Bonnie inclined her head, thinking. She tightened her grip on him, cuddling up closer. "Do you think Cole will be willing to give Klaus' treatment a try?"

Enzo sighed. It took him a while to reply, but Bonnie didn't press him.

"I don't know," he said _. I'm worried about that, too. That it couldn't work. That it could hurt him. I just… I just wish it could have been me. I don't want to risk anyone else's life…_

 _It'll work_ , Bonnie assured him, forcing herself to believe in her own words. "It will work…

* * *

…

Jo had opened the door of the Red Cross building to see the three of them stand waiting in front of it. When her face fell on Bonnie, she gasped.

"I wasn't expecting you back here," she said, obvious surprise in her features. She was standing motionless for a while before she remembered her manners and beckoned them to come inside, opening the door wide, leaning against it as she did. "Come on inside." Then, when her gaze fell on Klaus, she frowned at them, inquiring, "And who's your friend? He looks familiar."

Klaus stepped forward, gallantly taking her hand, smiling at her. "Klaus Mikaelson, my dear. It is my pleasure." And he walked close to her, whispering something into her ear that Bonnie didn't catch but that made Jo's cheeks flush even while she rolled her eyes at him.

When he had walked past, Bonnie frowned at Jo, a question in her eyes that the other woman answered with an awkward grin. "Oh, I know that type. Words… they love to hear themselves talking." And she gave a brief chuckle, then touched Bonnie's stomach, quickly changing the subject. "How's the pregnancy going?"

"Good, good," she replied, sounding a little too forced to her own ears, clenching her teeth briefly to stop herself from continuing in the same vein. "Just a little queasy at times…"

Jo smiled.

"Tell me why you came back? Last time I saw Lorenzo, you were well on your way back to the homestead…"

Bonnie grimaced, then told her story, summarizing in a few sentences that barely did her ordeal justice, but it had to suffice, because she had already spotted Cole and Caroline, standing among their group of fellow deserted comrades, almost exactly as it had been the first time they had gotten there.

Enzo was giving her a hug, then nodding to Cole, before Caroline suddenly looked over to her and called out.

"Bonnie!" She rushed over to her, embracing her like a long lost friend, and Bonnie felt weirdly comforted by the other woman's sincere affection.

"I'm so glad he got you back! Good job, Enzo!" Caroline smiled at her, so obviously happy at seeing them that Bonnie started feeling guilty for what they intended to spring on their friends.

"We weren't sure you'd still be here…"

Caroline chuckled, and Cole put an arm around her, raising his eyebrows. His stoic calm was in place as usual, but Bonnie could tell there was a certain tension hiding underneath.

"She wanted to stay," he grumbled, "didn't want to leave the settlers having to deal with people coming looking for us," he stared over at Enzo, who nodded, then back at Bonnie, apparently feeling the need to explain for her, "military police should still be looking for us - especially for me…"

A deserted Eternal. Of course.

The Silveren had lost two of their most valuable soldiers within the last few months. It must have been quite the blow. And it was only the beginning.

Enzo licked his lips, getting straight to the heart of the matter. There was no time for small talk and keeping up with the latest. War was waiting, and so was a potential chance at peace.

"Nik here," Enzo put a hand on the other man's shoulder, "says he might have a way to end the power of the Eternal sources. A way to end the suffering inflicted by the Eternal weapons."

Cole raised an eyebrow. He seemed very guarded. Squinting at Enzo, he asked, "You believe him?"

Enzo clenched his teeth briefly, then nodded. "But," he added, "he promised to demonstrate it first, on a volunteer."

"So why didn't you do it? Why do you still have your arm all bandaged up?" Caroline challenged, a strange fire in her eyes that Bonnie had to smile at involuntarily. She saw the blonde tighten her grip on Cole's arm and saw herself in them.

Caroline was fiercely protective of what she loved - who she loved. She didn't want Cole to be the Guinea pig. Bonnie couldn't blame her at all.

She turned to Enzo, who swallowed, looking very unhappy. "I wanted to…," he started, averting his gaze because he couldn't look Caroline in the eyes.

But then Klaus cocked his head, and, walking very close to Caroline, until Cole glared at him and he backed away, still smiling at her suggestively. "Poor fool got tricked into wearing an Old One by my dear mother, I heard," he said, "The damage done by those - damage to the tissue, the veins… - it's too vast. I can't possibly begin to repair that and extract the source material. It's all that keeps the arm together, in fact, all that keeps the bloodstream going."

Caroline's frown deepened, but when she looked at Enzo again there was also understanding in her features, and she seemed genuinely open to listen now. "So… you came here for Cole then? For him to risk it. I don't think-"

"I'll do it," Cole quickly said before she could even finish voicing her doubts, and she gave him a half glare that showed more worry than annoyance.

"Can we talk about this?" she hissed at him, but he gave her an apologetic look, kissing her on the head briefly before returning his attention toward the others.

"You were willing to try it?" He addressed Enzo, who nodded at him

"I don't need to tell you why," he gave Cole a pointed look, then continued, "But yeah, anything to end this nightmare and stop any more of our people from becoming a weapon of the territories."

Cole inhaled deeply, nodding. "Then let's do it," he whispered, and Klaus gave him an approving pat on the back.

"That's the spirit," he said, "You Eternals really are the new knights, aren't you? If only you didn't have such a bad reputation as the vilest killers out there, the myth would be alive. - Oh well, time to change history, I guess. I'm eager to get this under way. But if you need another moment with the lady…" Klaus grinned at Caroline, and she rolled her eyes at him just as Cole shook his head.

"We're good to go," he announced, "let's get it over with. What do I need to do?"

With that, their little group quickly discussed the details and they soon found themselves all waiting with bated breaths as Klaus got out his suitcase, examining his tools quickly, then nodding to Cole.

He was sitting on one of Jo's sick bay beds, sleeve rolled up, and began unraveling his bandage once Klaus had given him the go ahead.

Bonnie couldn't help but stare as she saw the silvery mark on the other man's arm, similar to Enzo's, yet also so very different. She finally began to understand Klaus' earlier words, his complete refusal of even trying his technique on Enzo.

Cole's scar was just as blazingly shiny as Enzo's, but it was shorter, cleaner cut. As if his skin had healed better after having been cut open, no frilly ends, just a long straight line where Enzo's was crooked and meandering, and after having carried the Old One also joined by another line right next to it as if the old scar hadn't fit anymore.

She licked her lips, absently grabbing Enzo's arm where he sat next to her, watching.

 _You alright, love?_

 _Fine, just…_ She trailed off, realizing that she was too queasy for this. She half hid behind Enzo, too captivated, too anxious to leave, but also too terrified, too nauseous to look as Klaus was carefully placing a scalpel above the scar tissue, ready to make a neat incision. Bonnie stifled a gasp when Caroline suddenly stopped him, grabbing his hand.

"Whoa," she made. "You didn't mention you were gonna cut him open like that! Can we at least… give him, I don't know, local anesthesia?"

She stared at them all, her gaze at last landing on Jo. "Please?" she mouthed, but it was Klaus who calmly answered.

"We can't do that. I need him to tell me when the pain is changing. He can't do that when he's on medication. Besides, anesthesia doesn't really do all that much for an Eternal to begin with. I'm sorry, love."

Caroline glared at him but remained silent, her lips pressed together, showing how upset she was. She held Cole's free hand tight, focusing on him.

"You sure you want to do this?" She eventually asked, looking so resigned it was evident that she already knew the answer. "This doesn't seem like a good idea at all…"

He looked at her mildly, a small smile on his face. "I'm used to the pain, Care, I'm willing to do this for a chance to finally be free of it…"

He nodded to Klaus, ready to continue, and the next thing Bonnie saw was how the sharp end of the instrument sliced into the blazing skin on his arm, and there was a stifled scream and a loud curse and the moment seemed to last forever. She heard Klaus and Cole talk in muffled voices and hissed, heard them talk about pain intensity, heard Klaus' instruments clutter when he switched to something else, saw him pour a liquid…

She felt the tension in Enzo's body as he watched while she only stared at him. She saw him clench his jaw too hard again, and she couldn't look, couldn't look until it was all over and she heard Klaus' excited, if quiet voice announce, "You're welcome." Just that.

Bonnie slowly allowed herself to look back at them, at Klaus, at Cole. At Caroline, wide eyed by his side, carefully, gingerly touching Cole's arm with her fingertips.

There was a gleam in Klaus' eyes that told her he had been at least a bit surprised, a bit excited that it had actually worked, and the realization gave her pause. It could have gone either way…

But it hadn't.

She stared at Cole's arm, now only dark, dark skin, dark red blood dripping from it along the old scar. But the sheen was gone, the silvery blaze. It was just a normal wound now, and Jo quickly rushed over to examine it.

"This actually looks like something I can stitch up," she said, sheer wonder in her gaze. She quickly got her things and turned to the others.

"Some privacy now, please? Show is over. Let me stitch this man up, and then we can discuss how to proceed from there."

How to proceed…

Bonnie exchanged a glance with Enzo. Shock in their faces, wonder.

Hope.

It was working. Klaus was really on to something.


	29. Respite

_So happy to be sharing this with you all here! Thanks for reading._

 _And, we'll blast past 100,000 words here! This chapter is short but (mostly) sweet._

 _Special thanks to deenew!_

* * *

...

"I'm sorry it didn't work for you."

Bonnie was stroking Enzo's hair as she said it. He was laying with his ear close to her stomach, "listening to the baby," as he had told her, and she was enjoying the moment of quiet with him.

"Don't be, love. I'm… happier than I ever was. Because of you. - And this little one." He gently caressed her stomach, smiling up at her, and she smiled back, if still a little worried about him.

 _I'm really okay. Esther's bandage is worlds away from what I had before. And the stupid shot wounds… they'll go away…_

He was so hopeful, and she loved it. There was a new energy in him, despite everything. The shots had taken a toll on him, and she could still feel the pain from them, but with the bandage, with Jo's treatment, it had already gotten so much better. Compared to what he was used to - what he had been through with her in the recent past, it was absolutely, startlingly bearable.

And they could breathe.

Bonnie closed her eyes, starting to drift as she heard Enzo very quietly talk to her stomach, about what a strong woman she was, how she'd stolen her way into his mind first, then into his heart…

She just followed her spiraling thoughts, a smile playing around the corners of her mouth.

* * *

...

After Jo had stitched up Cole's arm earlier, she had briskly walked over to Enzo, placing herself in front of him like the resolute mother of a stubborn child, and she had told him, "Your turn."

Bonnie had hidden her smile behind her hand when Enzo hadn't dared argue with her, instead just following Jo over to the next bedstead, where he had sat down, then laid down when that, clearly, hadn't been good enough for the doctor.

Bonnie had been secretly relieved that someone other than Klaus, someone with actual medical experience had taken a look at Enzo's arm. Although Jo had admitted that Klaus had done a decent job under the circumstances. Still, she had cleaned the wound more thoroughly, given him some antibiotics and even something to try and take the edge off the increased level of pain.

She had wanted Cole and Enzo to stay at the Red Cross, but neither of them had been willing to do as she'd asked, and in the end, Bonnie and Enzo had found themselves in the new home Caroline and Cole had just been allotted the day before.

"We almost feel like real settlers now," Caroline had laughed as she'd given Bonnie the tour, "I seriously can't believe any of this is happening. That we'll be staying here, living here, in a real home."

"Whose was it before?" The words had been out before Bonnie had completely realized what she was asking, and Caroline's face had fallen a little.

"A young couple," she had muttered, "she used to be Golden military, but then she came to the Outskirts and met her wife and…" Her voice had almost broken, and Bonnie had placed a hand on her arm, feeling awful for having asked.

"I'm sorry," she had begun, but Caroline had quickly shaken her head.

"No," she had said firmly, "don't be. I'm glad you asked. We can't just gloss over what happened. People died here because they wanted something other than be part of another senseless useless war. I don't want to forget them. I only met Rose and Nadia once, but they seemed like such a sweet couple…" She had sighed. "And then more of our troops came through here, and suddenly everything just… broke apart, and… now they're gone. Just gone. And this house is all that is left of them, really."

Bonnie had given her a hug, because she hadn't known what else to do or say, other than empty words. War sucks. Death sucks. But Caroline had seemed to need just that, a little human compassion and then she had pulled herself up again, smiling at Bonnie.

"I'm sorry," she had said, suddenly embarrassed. "Here I'm all heartbroken about people I barely ever knew and… gosh, you must think I'm a nutcase."

"Actually, I think you're really sweet and I love how you care about people. I'm glad that Enzo has had you as a friend. You're probably the only good he's had in his life."

Caroline's eyes had welled up at hearing Bonnie's words; and she'd given her another hug for good measure, then she'd said, "And now he has you. - Things are looking up for our Eternals, aren't they?"

And they had both started smiling, then lightly chuckling.

"He's a good guy, you know?" Caroline had finally said when they had sobered again, and Bonnie had nodded.

"I know."

"I don't know how much he's told you, but his father - the commander - he's an ass. The worst I've ever seen. It's a travesty that that man even rules us all. No compassion, no… heart. He's…"

When Caroline had just trailed off without saying anything else, Bonnie had grown strangely uneasy.

Then Caroline had suddenly said, "He'll be a great dad, Bonnie, Enzo... He really will be. Don't think for one moment that he's damaged goods, that he'd do to your baby what has been done to him. He tries to hide it behind his Eternal mask - they all hide behind it," she had briefly chuckled humorlessly, "but he really has a very compassionate heart, and lots of love to give. I'm seriously so happy for you two that you found each other. I know I sound so cheesy right now, but… You two are made for each other…"

* * *

…

Those last words kept replaying over and over in her head. "You two are made for each other."

It felt so true. So ridiculously cheesy, yes, but so true.

She fell asleep with that thought and only woke back up in the morning, refreshed and at peace in that little guest bedroom with the unfamiliar pictures on the walls.

Enzo was still asleep, and she enjoyed seeing him get some much needed rest, his face for once completely relaxed, not a hint of blazing uncontrollable pain visible in his features.

He may not have been suitable for Klaus' mysterious procedure, but thanks to the bandage he at least had a chance at a life with less pain. And so had she.

It could work.

 _It will, love._

Enzo was looking at her from where he lay next to her, one arm wrapped around her. He kissed her when she smiled.

"I didn't know you were up," she muttered.

"Only just woke up," he said, smiling.

"And already in my head?"

"Not my fault that you can't stop thinking about me," he wiggled his eyebrows and smirked at her, and she rolled her eyes, playfully slapping his chest.

They allowed themselves a few more minutes of light banter and light touches, but when Enzo tried to go a little further than that, a little deeper, she held him back, shaking her head.

"You need rest, Enzo St. John, and as much as I'd love to… indulge in some love making with you right now, that'll have to wait until you're healed a little more."

He made a face at her. "I got shot in the _arm_ , that's not gonna be a problem for anything" he protested, but she shook her head, insistently.

"Give it another few days, please?"

"If that's a question - and it really sounds like one," he told her pretend-earnestly, "then the answer is no. Not gonna happen." He paused, scrutinizing her. "Unless _you_ really want to wait. With _love_ _making_." He stressed the last two words, teasing her for her choice of words, smiling.

She rolled her eyes yet again, then said, "Fine, but only if you promise you'll let _me_ be the one in control today. Let me do the work…"

He raised an eyebrow as she rolled herself over and came to sit up, then hoisted one leg over his body, getting in position.

"And don't you dare move your arm," she told him, slowly starting to undress herself, then him.

"You're extremely hot when you're all bossy, Bonnie Bennett," he muttered, then his breath hitched as she took his cock in her hand, holding it firmly, staring him straight in the eyes.

"This is gonna look really funny, I'm sure, but don't you dare comment," she ordered him, indicating the slight curve of her slowly growing belly, before she curved her spine, hunching down a little, until she could put him in her mouth. Then she let her tongue glide down and up his length, feeling him shudder under the slowly building momentum, feeling him try to move her away with his hands, but she dove up, shaking her head at him briefly, her hair loose around her face, "I said no hands."

He smiled, then groaned, "I don't want you to do anything that's too uncomfortable for you, or makes you more queasy," he breathed, having a hard time formulating words at all as she went about her task. He was so turned on, so hard for her, so aroused; it was almost too much.

She let her actions be the answer. She continued on, stroking him, alternating between hands and mouth, hands and mouth, running her fingers down his thighs, tasting his balls, tasting _him_ , the tip of her tongue flicking at him until he couldn't take it anymore, until his arms did come up to grab her, and despite her meek protests that he wasn't supposed to move his injured arm, he sat up, then lifted her up on top of him, sliding inside of her where she was warm and so very wet.

"I wanna fuck you, Bonnie," he rasped, and she stared into his eyes, both of them sitting, her legs behind his back, and there was challenge in that stare, and desire.

"Go ahead, then," she challenged, "fuck me!"

And he did.

…

After, when it was still morning, still early, and they were still very naked under their sheets, they talked about what would have to come next.

Bonnie wanted to stay in her bubble of bliss for all eternity, but she knew they had matters to attend to first.

They'd have to talk to Klaus, question him on how exactly he intended to shut down an entire Eternal source, one of the sites where the rare metal for the weapons was mined.

It certainly wouldn't be as easy as healing one Eternal.

"Where is the nearest source anyways?" Bonnie eventually asked Enzo, and he gave her an inscrutable look.

"Not as far as you'd think. We have an exclave here. Just a couple of days away."

She nodded. "That's good at least. So we'll soon know whether he can really do it. Then go from there."

Enzo was very quiet all of a sudden, almost withdrawn, and Bonnie gently touched his neck, his face, to make him look at her.

"What is it?" Her question was met with a grimace and a sigh. "What are you not telling me?"

He remained quiet for so long she was ready to believe he was just going to pretend she'd never asked, when finally, he did meet her gaze and quietly told her, "My father oversees that particular site personally. It's… complicated. But, chances are high we'll run into him."

He ran a hand through his hair, agitated, and suddenly he looked a lot less like a strong soldier and a lot more like the hurt little boy he had once been. And Bonnie felt a pang.

"Well, this time, you wouldn't have to face him alone. You _won't_ ," was all she could tell him, but it was enough to make him smile a small smile.


	30. The source

_Getting ready for the countdown... Thanks if you're still reading. Special thanks to deenew, Jade, and kpmindc._

 _deenew: there's still hope for Enzo's arm beyond the boundaries of this story. But st least the new "old" bandage is providing way more help for him. :)_

 _kpmindc: thanks so much! Hope I can answer some of the questions. But if not - and that goes for everyone: feel free to ask them all and maybe we can get some more clarity..._

 _Jade: glad you liked the fluff. And you're right. Because now we are headed into a little more action again. Got places to go and only two days left here, right?_

 _Can't believe this is almost over. Thank you all so much for letting me have a bit of fun with these characters. If there are any questions and problems left at the end, don't hesitate to ask. I may just happen to write a few outtake scenes and follow ups. Who knows._

* * *

...

Time stood still for just a while.

Together, Bonnie, Jo, and Caroline had managed to persuade Enzo to stay and lay low at the settlement for a few additional days before heading over to the first source with Klaus.

Of course he had wanted to leave the very next day, not caring about his arm, just worried that the longer they waited, the more dangerous it would become for all of them, but especially for Bonnie and the baby.

In the end, three things had persuaded him to give it a little more time, and none of those was his own health.

Jo had insisted that Bonnie needed rest. That despite her being used to riding a horse, the strain was still a lot for her, and riding wasn't the safest for a pregnant woman - but they all knew Bonnie would never in a million years agree to stay behind. So they had to at least make sure she got some extra down time in first.

Caroline had offered him much needed assistance. She had said she and Cole would accompany him, make sure that Bonnie was safe while he and Klaus did their thing. But Cole still needed some time to recuperate - even though of course he saw it differently, but since Caroline was the one talking to Enzo, she had left out that small detail.

And Bonnie… had simply told him that she'd go anywhere with him, whenever he was ready. But he had seen it in her eyes, how tired the pregnancy made her, how much good just laying around, stroking her newly acquired dog did her, quiet moments of peace in which he just watched her be happy, sometimes a hand on her belly, mumbling something, as if she and the baby were already making plans for the future.

He couldn't take that away from her just yet.

And so they had waited.

Until he simply couldn't bring himself to wait anymore.

Now they were back on the road, with their horses, sans carriage because it would draw too much attention, and they traveled mostly at night, hiding during the bright hours of the days that were slowly growing longer, and just a little warmer, too, and he felt like he could breathe again, even though he should have probably been a lot more agitated because of the prospect of seeing his lovely father again.

But at least the cold was finally loosening its grip on the world, and Bonnie seemed happy and well rested, and it made him feel almost a bit exhilarated.

If Klaus came through on his promise, things would finally really change, not only for Cole, not only for those already Eternals, but for everyone, Golden and Silveren alike.

Things would change.

Enzo absently touched his arm, then looked over to where Bonnie was riding next to him, a dark silhouette against the fading light of the day. They had just packed up again to continue on their way, just a night or two longer before they'd finally reach the site.

 _You okay?_ He heard Bonnie ask over their link, and he frowned at her.

 _Yeah. Are you?_

He saw her look at him, concerned, and he tried to smile for her, forcing the frown off his face.

 _I'm fine,_ " she let him know, _I guess I was just… worried about you. You keep touching your arm. Jo said to take it easy. There's still splinters of the weapon lodged in there and… it worries me, is all._

 _It's nothing. If anything, it's probably more the fact that I haven't felt this good in forever. Even with the splinters in there, the bandage is doing wonders…_

She smiled. _You have no idea how happy that makes me._

He loved her so much. He was still so stunned how much _she_ loved _him_ that sometimes he didn't even know how to deal with it. Her affection, her concern. Unlike before, he couldn't simply ignore other people's feelings anymore to focus on himself. No, now there was Bonnie to think of, and it was time he got used to it, because deep down he finally allowed himself to think that she really wouldn't be going anywhere.

 _Nope. Here to stay._ She smiled at him, and he smiled right back.

 _Don't do that._

 _Do what?_

 _Sneak in my head like that? What if I'm thinking inappropriate thoughts of you, Bonnie Bennett?_

She grinned. _Then I'd be turned on…_

He was about to give her a taste when he noticed Klaus' horse approach and he warded off his mind in reflex.

"Enzo, my man." Klaus sniffed the night air, leaning over to the other man a little when he said, "Smells like adventure, don't you think? Are you ready to do this?"

Enzo squinted at him, suppressing the urge to roll his eyes. "Are you?"

"Why, of course. I can't even begin to tell you just how ready I am. This will be child's play. - If executed correctly, that is. And," he raised a finger, almost… warningly? "If you manage to distract your dear father and his goons enough for me to get down to the core."

"I'll hold up my end of the deal." Enzo swallowed, the mere thought of his father sending him straight back into feeling doomed. "So you better hold up yours, too. How much time will you need? Because the sooner this is over, the better. For everyone involved…"

"Should I be worried you'll go on a rampage and kill the man - and his immediate staff?"

Enzo glowered at him, and Klaus chuckled.

"I was joking. You don't do fun, do you, Lorenzo St. John?"

"I don't see what's so funny."

Klaus rolled his eyes, clearly growing bored with Enzo.

"Don't worry, Lorenzo. Provided the core is right where you told me, I should be in and out in roughly an hour. Be prepared to leave then. Don't wait any longer. The liquid is a fairly certain way to kill the source, but it will also act as an explosive once it has been absorbed completely and you don't want to stick around for when that happens."

Enzo glared at him. "That would have been nice information to have _beforehand_ ," he hissed, "We wouldn't have needed to bring the others, put them at risk-"

"You're worried about your sweetheart," Klaus stated soberly, and Enzo's arm came up to abruptly pull his horse to a stop, startling all of them.

Bonnie was the first to follow, then Klaus, Caroline and Cole.

"What's going on?" Caroline wanted to know, asking the same question that was on Bonnie's mind. They were all wary, tense, the more so the closer they got to the mining site.

Enzo closed his eyes briefly, then rushed over to where Klaus stood, getting in his face, so close that the other man grinned.

"That's my method, too," he breathed, winking at Enzo, "so you might as well back off, mate. I know neither of us is intimidated by this little power play."

Enzo smirked at him, raising his chin, but not giving Klaus room.

"You just sprang the news on me that whatever you intend to do will make the entire freaking site detonate and you think this is a fucking powerplay?" He said with a voice so stony that Klaus' smug expression wavered ever so slightly. "I'm not playing games. Are _you_?"

Klaus didn't get a chance to answer before Caroline blurted out a livid, "What?!" And had Cole not held her back right then, she would have been between the two other men within seconds.

"Come on," Klaus' eyes flickered as he turned away from Enzo, putting a step or two of distance between them, "it's not that big of a deal, is it? If things go according to plan - and they should - it won't matter much. We'll be well on our way by then."

"We need to be prepared for the worst case, too." Bonnie had spoken before any of the more heated parties could, and she felt them all calm down the slightest bit. She took a deep breath, exhaling slowly.

They didn't need this: discord among themselves. They needed to work together, trust each other. They needed to get it over with.

Klaus' jaw muscles were working as he now looked at her, contemplating.

"What else do we need to know?" Bonnie asked, staring at him, and he sighed.

"I will be pouring the liquid in as soon as I'm down by the core. It's an accelerant, makes the metal corrode, get porous."

"What if it won't," she challenged, trying to ask all the important questions. But he grinned at her, scoffing.

"Trust me, it will. It's no magic. A chemical reaction, a catalyst. I," he paused, squinting at them as if he was wondering whether he should tell them more, before he did, "I found out about it quite by accident. Someone had offered up an Eternal weapon on the black market. Needless to say, my interest was peaked and I put in an offer. Once I had brought the thing home, I tried tempering with it a bit. Wanted to get behind it's secret," he shrugged almost apologetically, "what can I say, stuff like that interests me. - But anyways."

"Get to the end of it, Nik." Enzo was losing his patience, and Klaus rolled his eyes at Bonnie.

"Isn't he lovely?"

He earned himself a few more glares and raised his arms as if in surrender. "Alright alright. Let's skip the best part. Suffice it to say I spilled a few things and the combination suddenly, well… had a bit of an explosive effect. Singed my hair a bit, there." He chuckled.

"Okay. So that part is foolproof. What about if the explosion happens sooner than you're anticipating?"

"It shouldn't."

Enzo suddenly shoved him, hard. "What if it _does_?!"

"Easy, Lorenzo. Geez. - If it does happen too soon, we better be as far away as possible. It's gonna be a big blast. That's why I want you all to just go as soon as the hour is up. We'll meet at the designated spot. And run. In either case. We should have plenty of time, but if not…" He gave a pointed look, not saying the words. "You get my drift."

"Awesome. Now this just sounds like a total suicide commando," Caroline huffed and shoved Klaus, who merely smirked at her.

"I like a fiery woman," he said, winking suggestively, earning himself a death stare from Cole and another glare from Caroline.

"Just watch out, you might get what you wish for and I might be set on fire before tomorrow is over," she quipped, then went back to her horse.

Enzo exchanged a glance with Bonnie. _Thanks for staying level-headed_ , he told her and she smiled.

 _Somebody had to. It wasn't gonna be your hothead._ She looked at him fondly and his eyes flickered.

Then he said, out loud so that the others could hear it, "Nik and I will go alone. You guys will wait at our next stop, and we'll ride the rest alone. I'll let Bonnie know how things are going and if they're not going according to plan, you will ride back to the settlement as quickly as possible-"

"No." Bonnie couldn't help a pout appearing on her face, like an upset child. Because she _was_ upset.

"Bonnie… please."

"I'm not gonna let you go alone, Enzo, not… not after everything we've been through.

 _That's exactly why you're gonna let me go alone, love._ He gave her a look, so determined, so intense, yet she still bristled, unwilling to let it go.

Neither of them paid much attention to the world around them, to Klaus exchanging glances with Cole and Caroline, then shrugging, quipping, "You think those two are talking about us right in front of us?" He grinned, but neither Caroline or Cole were much in the mood for it.

"Why don't you just shut up for a change?" Cole drily asked him.

"Testy," Klaus replied, still grinning, but for some reason he did keep quiet and moved to get back on his horse.

 _Please, Enzo. Don't make this so hard. Let's just stay together from now on-_

"Bonnie." He sounded so tired again that she looked up at him worriedly, placing a hand on his chest, the other playing with the lapel of his coat.

They just looked each other in the eyes, and she could suddenly read so much in them, in him, that she finally sighed and whispered quietly, "Alright," nothing else. Just that one word, and a kiss.

* * *

…

They said goodbye the next day, after a short cool night spent not far from the Eternal source, and Bonnie had barely been able to sleep at all, knowing that she'd have to stay behind, unable to be there for Enzo the way she had wanted to when he'd meet his father.

 _If_ …

 _You said it was very likely. Your plan kinda functions best if you do meet him so he won't suspect anything going on under his very eyes…_

She was awkwardly nestling with the jacket he had chosen to wear instead of the coat, patting the standing collar as if she was trying to get it to lay flat.

"Bonnie…" He was smiling at her, amused, but she was trying to fight back tears.

"Why is this not going down?!" She huffed out, super upset, only realizing her mistake when he cupped her chin and made her look up at him, breathing, "It's not meant to…"

The tears were coming after all, she couldn't control it, couldn't do anything about it. He wiped her cheeks, kissing her softly, so softly. Then they pulled apart, Bonnie pushing herself off of him, giving a teary chuckle.

"I'll still be right there with you, Enzo St. John," she let him know, "I'll be here," and she gently tapped his temple, then let her fingers slide down the side of his face, to his mouth, tracing his lips before she broke contact, already missing his skin under her touch even though he was still right in front of her.

"I love you, Bonnie Bennett, more than anything. All I ever wanted was someone by my side as fiercely loyal as you. Someone _I_ 'd want to risk everything for." He shuddered. "And now I have that. Sometimes I still can't believe it-"

"Well, you better, because it's true. I love _you_ , and I'm not gonna give you back. I'm not gonna go anywhere. I'll be waiting here. Just make sure you come back to me…"

"I will."

And he would.

* * *

…

Clangs of metal against metal could be heard even from a mile away.

Enzo and Klaus sat on their horses, still up high, from where they had a good view of the site. It was nothing new, nothing special to Enzo. In fact, it was so terribly familiar that he had to fight the childish urge to just run.

But Klaus, Klaus was fascinated, exhilarated. And Enzo could see it so clearly in the man's features that he almost felt something akin to sympathy for him.

The site _was_ mesmerizing, and objectively beautiful in its own way. A giant crater-like opening leading deep into the rock, baring a maze of intricately meandering silvery lines, blazing so bright that they illuminated the whole area with a strange surreal light.

Big machines were working to mine the precious material, manned by just a few men. Most personnel, then, was used to guard the perimeter fence around it. Soldiers, with weapons as gleaming as the source they were protecting.

"Fascinating," it escaped Klaus, "Never thought I'd see that many Eternals in the same place - never thought I'd see that many anywhere in my life. Period." He chuckled, his excitement barely contained, and he looked over to Enzo, who merely made a face, nothing special there for him.

"Are you ready?" he asked, calm and without much inflection, and Klaus sighed.

"You are a strange fellow, you know that, Enzo?"

Enzo rolled his eyes, waiting.

"Alright." Klaus patted the bag that was strapped to the side of his horse, "you get me in, you give me a bit of time, then we leave. Either together-"

"Or not. Got it. Now you'll leave the talking to me."

They exchanged another glance, then Klaus nodded, and they dug their heels into their horses, galloping straight toward the source, both of them with completely different feelings.

Doom was battling with hope, exhilarated excitement with a sense of foreboding.

Had they taken on too much?

* * *

…

In a little hideout of sorts, Bonnie was waiting with Caroline and Cole, antsy and going stir-crazy. There were just a few bushes and hills, but it was enough to give them some shelter. She was relieved that the day was at least nice and bright and warmer than it had been in a long time, if still pretty crisp and cool.

She sighed, patting her horse, then sitting down with her dog curling up beside her. He gave her a look, blue eyes sharp and understanding, and she smiled down at him. A little further away, Caroline was leaning against Cole, both of them quietly talking, shooting her sideways glances every so often as if they were worried she'd just run off.

She had to smile. She had promised Enzo to stay put, and for his sake, and for the baby's, she would do just that. Wait. With a deep inhalation, she turned her attention inward,

 _Please tell me when you get there, Enzo_ , she said, and meant his dad, not the site source. She knew he understood.

 _I will._

 _Are you holding up alright?_

She could feel his tension, but he told her, _I'm fine, love. Don't worry about me. With a little luck this should be over soon. I'm just hoping Klaus will be quick._

 _I'm sure he will be. He's too fond of himself…_

 _He_ is _family. I guess it's not surprising._

Bonnie smiled. _Does that mean you're too fond of yourself too?_ But she regretted her words when she remembered just how much the opposite was true, how much whatever his father had submitted him to had turned him into hating what he was, what he stood for. _I'm sorry, that was not a very sensitive joke_ , she admitted but she felt amusement from his side, and love, and was instantly relieved.

 _You don't need to worry about me, Bonnie Bennett. The way you look at me… that does almost make me be too fond of myself. How could I not be? When a girl like you sees something in me, I must be pretty marvelous._

She chuckled. _Don't let it get to your head now. -_ _But yes, you are. Remember that when you're facing him._

 _Thank you, love. I will..._

And if not, she would take care of it that he did.

* * *

…

Enzo was the first to dismount his horse when they had first gotten to the gigantic entrance area to the mine. A large gate lay in front of them, manned by at least twenty armed Eternal soldiers - probably more in a small hut right behind it.

Klaus swallowed hard, unsure of what to expect. In all his plans he had always just kind of glossed over the part where he'd actually have to get into the site first, but now there was no going back anymore, only going forward, and he forced himself to just concentrate on what Enzo was doing and follow his lead.

A guard stepped in front of Enzo immediately, stopping him from going any further. Klaus saw the man's weapon, then the way how Enzo, seemingly casually, let his bandage peek out from under his sleeve.

"I'm here to see the commander," he said before the guard could even say a word, and there was a moment of awkward silence before the other man finally said, "Is he expecting you?"

Enzo smirked, confusing Klaus. But then he understood, as Enzo asked, "You're new, soldier?"

"Sir?"

Enzo's cocky expression strangely pleased Klaus. This was the kind of entrance he had envisioned for them.

"Your commander? That's my father; and yes, he's expecting me. Do you need to go ask him first, or could there possibly be someone here that's been with the guard for a little longer than you?"

"Apologies, sir. I… uh," the poor man stammered, looking from Enzo to Klaus, who was winking at him. Then he waved over to the hut, and another guard poked his head out, looking annoyed.

"What?!"

"Um… this one claims to be the commander's son?"

The other guard glared over at them, shielding his eyes against the sun. Enzo looked bored. And aloof.

When the man had gotten close, his whole posture immediately changed. Tension flooded through his body, making him stand up straight, and he saluted Enzo quickly.

"Sir, I… we didn't know you were coming. My apologies. Your… companion, I'm sorry, but we need an ID on him, too."

Enzo sighed, rolling his eyes in a show of utter annoyance. "Can't you see the family resemblance?" He offhandedly waved at Klaus' face. "So, how does this work, do we need an escort over to his office, does someone need to announce us first? Or what?"

The two guards looked positively intimidated, unsure of how to proceed. Clearly, there was a protocol, and clearly, they didn't feel like they could make Enzo adhere to it. Klaus almost felt sorry for them.

"Sir, we all know who you are. I'm sure… it'll be fine if you just go straight up to him."

Enzo raised his eyebrows at them, then started to move.

"Uh, sir, one more thing?"

The guard got a dark stare in reply.

"You'll have to leave your weapon out here." The poor man's voice was barely above a whisper.

"I didn't bring it. You're free to search me…"

"That won't be necessary," the older of the two guards quickly said, forcing a smile, then they both made room for Enzo and Klaus, nodding to their comrades to let the two newcomers pass.

They were really in. Klaus marveled at the reality of it. So close to the source. It was almost a shame… He patted the heavy bag he'd brought. All he needed to do was pour the liquid straight in, but first… since he wouldn't have any spectators, he'd just quickly take a tiny amount of the shiny metal and smuggle it out. Wouldn't hurt anyone, would it?

And nobody would know...


	31. Explosive

_And here we are. The month of October 2017 is complete, and so is this story._

 _But: there's a surprise for you all: a 32nd chapter awaits after this one. So, it's a double update. :)_

 _I hope you'll enjoy it, but I gotta admit: there's bound to be lots of interstices (blank spaces, so to speak) left that still need to be filled. Maybe we'll have to revisit those._

 _Either way, saying goodbye is hard. I'm bound to disappoint you, and that's tough and, honestly, makes me anxious. lol_

 _But I'm so happy I got to share this with you, and that I got to write an ending for it. At some point around chapter 14 I thought for sure that was gonna be where I'd have to end it. I_ _didn't want to leave you - or Bonenzo - hanging, though. I wanted to see their happy ending, but with a good portion of room for you guys to imagine them on more adventures together..._

 _..._

 _Juno: very happy to see you here again and know you've been reading and enjoying this. And OMG, you're lucky I can't PM you, I guess, (lol) I'd so hound you for all the details on you meeting Michael and seeing his tour. lol. I'm sooo jealous - in a good way, though, I promise. Super happy for you that you got to experience that. I totally have a bit of an actor's crush on him (and his voice... *swoon*)_

 _deenew: Enzo meeting his father, it needs to happen for him to move on, right?_

 _Jade: aw, I know. I'm right there with you. So happy you liked it._

 _..._

 _Alright. Time for the story to continue!_

* * *

...

They had to walk up a pretty steep path before they were finally out of reach of the guards over by the entrance. From up there they had a stunning view right across the entire mining site, gigantic machines moving down below, the sheen of the metal so bright that it was hard to look at it.

Enzo clenched his jaw involuntarily, memories threatening to overwhelm him, memories he hadn't wanted to ever revisit. One in particular stood out, because it had happened somewhere not too far from where they now stood, getting ready or part ways.

Klaus was saying something, Enzo saw his lips move, but he had a hard time concentrating as another voice filled his mind, straight out of the past, low and without emotion.

"I should just throw you down there. See? Where it's the brightest? It's actually fluid, we are mining around it, because even our best men don't know how to temper the metal in its liquid form, but… I have plans for this, son, for _you_. I want you to be the personification of my power, more than just an Eternal, I want you to be _the_ Eternal. I'm thinking… if the cutting doesn't do it, we'll try a bath…"

How old had he been? 14 perhaps. All he remembered were those words, spoken so casually, and the terror building up inside of him.

"Lorenzo?" Klaus gave him a curious look, but Enzo could only stare at the small pond-like surface down below.

 _Enzo. Come back._

He wondered what it would have felt like. The fall. The touchdown. The metal washing over him, filling his lungs.

 _Come back. Come. Back. Enzo._

 _Bonnie_...

He inhaled sharply, focusing on his companion, who watched him, puzzled and a little concerned.

"Are you alright, mate?"

He wiped over his temple briefly, nodding. Then, without explanation for his short episode, he simply pointed toward a small, half hidden ladder and said, "You'll have to go down there. The ladder is just for emergency purposes, so I don't think anyone will await you. Be careful anyway."

"And you?"

Enzo cocked his head, wagging his eyebrows briefly. "Have a meeting with the devil now, I believe. Wait ten minutes before you head over to the core. By then his attention should already be on me…"

The other man nodded, then squinted at Enzo, suddenly patting him on the shoulder like an old friend. "Good luck in there. I'll only need all eyes away from the core for a few minutes at best. But a half hour to an hour would be perfect so that I can begin my trek back without anyone coming for me."

"I know…"

With that, they eventually parted ways, Enzo feeling a heaviness weigh him down that made him wish he and Klaus could have switched places.

 _I'll be right there with you._

He had to smile. It was still a bit strange to not be completely alone, even if he seemingly was. She was really there. And that his father wouldn't be able to tell made it even better.

* * *

…

The foyer to the large office building was huge and wide, and it blinded him with its inlays of Eternal metal. He felt a weird sensation in his arm, almost as if the limb knew its origin lay somewhere here.

"Can I help you?" A gentleman in a fancy suit came his way, inclining his head to take him in. There was something familiar about him.

Enzo felt his neck prickle uncomfortably.

"I'm looking for the commander."

"Well," the man extended a hand as if he had suddenly realized something, "dare I say you don't much look like him, except for a certain darkness in your features." The man smiled and Enzo couldn't help but glare.

"It's the hair," he stated drily, "black…"

To his surprise, the man chuckled. "Indeed, that's it, I believe. - Come follow me, Lorenzo. He'll be so pleased to see you."

Enzo highly doubted that, but he wasn't going to argue. All he hoped was to find his father in his usual spot, surrounded by his trusty staff, the council, staring out the floor length windows down into the mining site, while discussing strategies of war and whatever the hell else interested him these days.

When his nameless companion guided him up a few flights of stairs, quiet and quick, Enzo had to fight the urge to try and make small talk. The man did not seem to be much into that with his whole genteel behavior.

"There we are," he suddenly said, "as I'm sure you'll remember."

Enzo nodded. "Of course."

The man knocked on the wide door, just a tap of his hand, really, and Enzo tensed as they waited, until an all too familiar voice boomed, "In."

Still not a man of many words, Enzo noticed. It was probably not the only thing that hadn't changed.

And indeed he was right. When the man opened the door, Enzo braced himself, then peeked inside, seeing his father sitting at a large desk, looking exactly like the last time he had seen him. Maybe a few more lines around the eyes, but that was it.

For the first time he had to wonder whether it was actually true what the old legends said, that proximity to Eternal metal could decelerate the aging process.

 _What? Does that mean in ten or twenty years people will wonder how this middle aged woman scored herself such a dashing young man?_

He had to stifle a laugh.

 _They'd only ever wonder why you'd put up with someone like me…_

"Enzo. I…" His father slowly extricated himself from his heavy chair and made a few steps toward his son, nodding to the twenty or so people in the room with him. Enzo glared at them all, then focused on his father. It was always a bit funny, in a way, how short he had become. Or rather, how much Enzo had grown.

"To be quite honest I had pegged you for dead or, excuse my assumptions, deserted."

Enzo grimaced at him. "Of course you'd think that. You never did think very highly of me, did you? Then again, once bitten, twice shy? Maybe my mother's departure made you suspicious of me as well. Like mother like son?"

The older man scoffed. "Please. Let's not open old wounds. I'm glad to see you whole." And to Enzo's utter shock and horror his father stretched out his arms and gave him an unwanted hug.

When he pulled away, leaving Enzo standing frozen and uncomfortable, he addressed the other man that had come inside with him, "Elijah, I don't think you've met my son… Lorenzo, this is Elijah Mikaelson. He's your cousin, on your mother's side."

Enzo had to focus hard so as not to let his surprise show. Did that mean… the man was Klaus' brother?

"He's been with me for…," he looked from Enzo to Elijah, "how long now, Elijah?"

"A year, commander."

His father nodded, "Right. Funny how time flies. Yet a year is nothing in the grand scheme of things. Elijah here - just like your dear mother - is not a pure Silveren, but,"'he pointed a finger up triumphantly, "his heart is purer. We intercepted his group of travelers when they were doing a little trip from coast to coast, from Golden lands into our territory. Needless to say we had to interrogate them, question them. Turns out that the Golden have been trying to smuggle Eternal metal back across the continent," he chuckled at Enzo's lost expression, "a trade of sorts, my son. Dear Elijah was quickly recruited for the just cause, however, his loyalties didn't really lie with the Golden to begin with. In fact, I had just decided to send him after you, maybe to complete your mission, as he had some very interesting theories on who our mysterious contact could be. But now here you are, and I take it he doesn't need to go anymore?"

Enzo sniffed, shaking his head finally. Elijah was a wildcard. There was no knowing whether he had an inkling of what Klaus had been planning to do. Enzo realized that he had no idea how close the two brothers even were.

Was Elijah playing his father? Or was he being sincere?

 _At least you have his attention. Are they away from the windows?_

Bonnie jolted him back to what really mattered right now and he was grateful for that. His mind was all over the place. Not very good for a trained soldier.

 _They're all focused on_ him.

Because they were all scared of him.

To his father he said, "No, he doesn't. I brought the contact," his father's eyes widened, but Enzo shook his head lightly. "Not like you think. Actually, I'm only here to warn you, father. We are going to try and end the Eternal sources."

His father scoffed, looking at his council, then back at Enzo as if he had made a hilarious joke. "End them? And how do you intend to do that?"

"We've found a way. It'll start here. Tell your men to leave now and you all might have a chance to live."

Someone in the back was signaling to his father. Should they try and capture and restrain his son? But the commander shook his head, still not quite believing that his son could mean any danger.

"How many of you are there - and how many of us?"

"Doesn't matter," Enzo was quick to dismiss him, but the older man wasn't going to back down so quickly.

"Are you working for the Golden now, son? Are the rumors true after all! That you Bonded with one of them? That you _are_ one of them now?

"I will never be one of them, and neither will I be one of you," he waved at all the men and women in the room, with their dark uniforms with shiny silvery buttons and epaulettes. Because I'm both." He glared at his father. "Since you seem to have finally embraced the fact that part of your family are not pure Silveren, maybe you're ready to accept that as fact now, too. Your stupid _symbol_ is, in fact, just a symbol of change. We want to end this godforsaken war-"

His father's face had turned dark and angry as he interrupted him now, but Enzo raised his chin as he listened, standing as tall as he could. "Do you honestly believe destroying the sources will end the war? You're naive to think that, son. What it _will_ mean is simply this: you'll rid us of our one advantage over the enemy with their bonds and freaks. They'll have an easy time invading our homes and rape our women and kill our children-"

Enzo rolled his eyes, shaking his head. His hands in fists, he tried to stay calm, but it was hard. Maybe his father had a point. There was no knowing whether the Golden wouldn't just use this to their advantage, but even in that case…

"That almost seems better than what we have now, father," he spat out the last word with so much contempt and hatred that the commander actually looked a bit taken aback.

"Better?!" He hissed. "How is that better?!"

"Do you know why these people even follow you anymore? Not because they believe in anything you tell them, or make them do. It's because they're fucking terrified! Of what you could do to their families, their children, if they didn't obey. Someone who doesn't hesitate to put his _own_ family through the worst pain can only be expected to do the same to people less close to him."

"What are you even talking about?" The commander shook his head, walking back over to his desk, and for a second Enzo was worried he'd look out the window after all and spot Klaus in the middle of his task, but the moment passed, and his father remained focused on what was going on in his own office.

His staff were growing more and more uneasy. Enzo could tell that they were eager to be dismissed, to be gone, but the commander had always been fond of an audience.

"What am I talking about?" Enzo chuckled, but it was the most distraught noise in the room.

 _Remember who you are now, Enzo. You're not that boy anymore. You're with me_ …

Bonnie. He had to focus on her presence, had to focus on her to not go completely overboard and lose his countenance.

"You are a rapist and an abuser yourself, _dad_. There are stories about my mother and you…"

"That's enough."

"And while I can't attest to their truth, I can at least suspect it, judging from what you did to _me_."

"I made you strong! I made you what you are today."

Enzo shook his head, scoffing, "I am what I am _despite_ what you did, not because of it. You fucking cut me open. You threatened to throw me down the mine to make me a beacon of your fucking power. - You cut into your own people, continuing what others have started before you without even questioning whether it's right or not. Hundreds of people with this," he suddenly pulled up his arm, making a few people gasp in a panic, but they grew slightly calmer when all they saw was a bandage, not a weapon.

"I said, enough. Elijah, kindly remove Enzo from the room. I do believe his mission might have affected him more than we thought and a little rest-"

As Elijah's arms came up to grab Enzo, he swiftly stepped aside. "I don't need to rest. But I _will_ leave. If you want to live, you'll do the same."

And with that, he gave Elijah a pointed look, noting a sense of dawning understanding in the man's eyes.

"Klaus?" he whispered, so quietly that only Enzo could hear him, and when he nodded, Elijah took a deep breath, exhaling slowly with a half nod. "Of course…" And as Enzo was already on his way toward the door, no one coming after him, which was in and of itself already a sign that he had gotten through to them more than his father would have liked to admit, Elijah turned to face the commander.

"I'm sorry, sir, let me try and sort this out." And with that, he quickly walked out after Enzo, leaving the commander dumbfounded and out of sorts.

* * *

…

Bonnie had held her breath again and again through Enzo's conversation. It had all happened so quickly, he'd rushed out already, he was on his way, even though the hour wasn't even up yet. But she knew she couldn't make him go back. It probably wouldn't matter anyway.

He knew his father. He'd told her that he'd not move from his desk unless someone made him now.

It was strange, she was far away from the site, only seeing it from a distance, but at the same time, through him, she was right there.

It was happening. She felt the rush, the anticipation, the fear, it was all there.

She heard Enzo talk to the guards that had let him in earlier, urging the confused men to leave with him. Offering them a cure for the scars on their arms.

Some of them raced into the other direction, believing him that something was going down, just not believing that he was the good party in all of it. Others exchanged worried glances and ran with him, off, away from the site.

Bonnie could almost see them coming. Almost.

Her breaths came fast, her nostrils flaring, and she felt Caroline on her one side, the dog on her other, nudging her leg.

"This is really happening," Caroline whispered and Bonnie merely nodded, her "Yes" just a whiff of air into the wind.

They waited. For Enzo. For Klaus.

For…

This...

* * *

…

The explosion came with an earsplitting crushing noise, so loud, so vast, that Bonnie felt her ears start ringing before the sound had even completely reached them.

The flames, the smoke went up high, for what seemed like miles, into the sky. Up up, and farther up, illluminating and darkening the world around them at the same time.

"Oh my gosh," it escaped Caroline. Then she tugged at Bonnie. "We gotta go."

"Not without them-"

"We gotta go. Now. They'll catch up."

"But…" Bonnie didn't want this. She didn't want to leave without him, when she didn't know that he had gotten out-

 _On my way. Go with Care…_

She choked down a sob, her dog looking worriedly up at her. _Are you-_

 _Okay, love. I'm okay. Please get ready. I'll meet you. There's a settlement not too far from here, we can make it by nightfall if we go now._

 _Will you-_

 _I'll be there._

She couldn't hold back her tears anymore. Staring up at the fire in the sky one last time, as blazing as a giant version of the Eternal weapons, piercing the clouds, she swallowed down her fear, her urge to stay and wait, and signaled to her dog, "Let's go. Fast."

Then she nodded to Cole and Caroline and climbed on her horse. There was no time to wait. She quickly told the others about the place Enzo had mentioned and Caroline seemed to recognize it.

Nodding, she said, "Follow me," then dashed into the wide open, Bonnie and Cole on her heels.

* * *

…

Klaus grinned to himself. It all had gone according to plan - well, except the part where he'd filled his bag with metal and had accidentally already dropped the bottle with the liquid, making it spill out and onto the Eternal metal. He had barely gotten half the amount that he had wanted, but it was as good as it was going to get.

So he had packed up quickly and made a run for it. There had been a few soldiers on guard duty that had almost cut his escape short, but then Elijah had magically appeared from somewhere and had told the startled men the commander had told them to run for it because of an out of control situation with the Eternal source. And Klaus had been free to go.

"Brother, what are you doing here?"

"Good to see you, too," Klaus had said, grinning wide, but Elijah had merely given him a mild half smile. "I thought you had gone rogue with one of our loads there."

Elijah grimaced. " _Our_ loads?"

"Family business, right?"

They had galloped alongside each other, almost too out of breath to talk. Klaus had known that Elijah was trading lost Eternal weapons, giving them to the highest bidder on either side. The trek his hired hands went on was almost legendary. Coast to coast, spanning the whole continent, Silveren territories and Golden lands. Who better to be in charge of that than a man with both in his blood?

"I believe you just set out to destroy my half of the business, Nik." Elijah hissed over, not looking very pleased. "I thought we had an understanding-"

"Yeah, well, we also had an understanding regarding which side we'd be on in this war…"

"You're fooling yourself if you ever thought it was any other side but our own. Besides," Elijah raised an eyebrow. "I merely did what I had to to escape torture. You, on the other hand-"

"I'm working on destroying the one Silveren advantage; I'd say it's pretty clear which side I'm on."

Elijah raised an eyebrow at him. "Working together with our very Silveren cousin? You're playing everyone again, aren't you? I only hope the poor fool knows not to trust you…"

Klaus merely smirked in return, then he reined in his horse, pointing toward a silhouette on the horizon.

"There," he said, "let's follow them for now. Our dear cousin is quite resourceful and will get us out here in one piece."

"After you…"

With a grin full of excitement Klaus dug his heels into his horse and off he sped, soon just another silhouette.

* * *

...

Enzo had found himself racing against the flames for a while, before he could finally breathe a little easier again as the plume of fire and ashes slowly fell away. Whatever Klaus had done, the reaction had definitely been accelerated, the explosion happening before the hour was up.

He was just glad that Bonnie was safe, with Caroline. He couldn't think about what he'd left behind.

His father…

 _It'll be alright. Just come back to me…_

He sighed as he felt Bonnie, her presence, the thought of her keeping him going when his mind was starting to get too exhausted to function. But he had responsibilities, not just Bonnie and the baby, but also the few men that had decided to follow him. He saw them ride along, shocked and shaken, wide eyed and in disbelief.

They all had been riding for a while, when they finally saw two figures on horseback approach and Enzo knew before they had even gotten close who they were. Of course.

Just a few minutes later he was facing the smug smile of one Niklaus Mikaelson, who had triumph written all over him.

"Best fireworks I've seen in a while," he said, grinning, turning around to the other rider, then back to Enzo. "I believe you've met my dear brother…

Enzo raised an eyebrow, still not sure what to make of the mysterious man. Had he been in on Klaus' plan? Either way, he decided he didn't trust either of them.

 _Gotta keep a close eye on them_ , Bonnie was telling him, and he agreed. This had been a close call.

But: they had succeeded. One source down, one mining site destroyed. And the best part: the commander, who had ruled with terror and fear by his side, was gone.

 _He's your father. It's okay to be sad about-_

 _No._

He clenched his jaw, forcing his horse to keep going, going, faster.

 _Enzo._

 _I'm not… sad. He deserved so much worse. He…_

 _Was still your father._

He closed his eyes briefly, just wishing himself to be with her already. Having her in his mind was suddenly not enough anymore.

He needed more. He needed her.

* * *

…

She was waiting for him. When he came riding into the settlement, not careful and quiet this time, but barging in, she was waiting.

She stood in the half deserted road as more and more shadowy faces peeked out behind curtains and blinds, concerned perhaps, certainly wary.

They had greeted a few of them that had been out minding their business when they had first walked in, carefully and guarded.

"You here to stay?" One of them, a young woman with fiery hair, had asked, as if she was used to people just popping up and putting down roots.

Bonnie guessed that that did happen a lot, so close to the Eternal source. People probably started feeling unsafe soon, then left, then new ones came in, with big dreams, maybe even hopes of working in the mines, then those went on their way too, a constant shifting in the population.

To the woman she had merely said, "Maybe for a night or so."

"Be careful, sweetie. With whatever went down over by the source there may be a lot of military presence soon. You might want to go elsewhere…" And she had nodded toward Bonnie's belly, making her feel slightly awkward. She had thought she could still hide it pretty well, but apparently the woman had seen right through her, in her wide open coat and long scarf just cascading down in front of her.

She had mumbled a rushed "I will, thanks," then she had quickly followed the other two who had been trying to buy lodgings in one of the nearby boarding houses.

Once they had found themselves two rooms, however, she had insisted on waiting by the road leading into the settlement, right where the first few buildings stood, and she had waited there, ever since, until she could finally make out his dark form against the fire in the distance.

Her breath hitched, and she pressed one hand to her stomach absently, her dog nuzzling the other until she stroked its head.

She knew it was Enzo. Even from that far away and without him telling her so over the bond, she knew. How he sat on the horse, leaning down to be faster, holding onto the horse more than the reins, helming a group of riders that rode with him.

 _Do you even know how hot you look right now?_ She asked him and felt his startled amusement. _Well, you really do_ , she told him, trying to downplay her more serious emotions, her relief at seeing him again, whole, but also her deep worry about how the encounter with his father, how the man's death had affected him.

 _And you, love, look ravishing, even from a distance, even when the sun is in your back and I can barely see anything but a dark outline._

 _I'm not sure whether that's a compliment or-_

 _It's the truth, love, a fact._

She smiled until her expression grew wistful, and by the time he finally slowed to a stop just a few feet away from her, she couldn't contain her tears anymore, couldn't wait anymore, and she ran to him, like a cheesy girl in one of the cheesy stories she had read growing up, like one of the heroines of the stories she had come up with with Elena way back when they had dreamed up their perfect romantic futures, except now it wasn't a story anymore. Now it was real, _they_ were real, and it was their romantic happy ending waiting just around the corner.

But first: a fierce hug, a longing kiss. Her forehead against his, his hands framing her face, the plumes of their breaths meeting between them.

"I missed you, Bonnie Bennett."

"I was always with you…"


	32. This is the end

_Thanks to everyone who read / reads this! It's been a blast, an adventure. It's been a bit all-encompassing there for a bit, and now it's done. I'm excited about that, and also a bit sad to say goodbye._

 _Endings are hard. In this case, the ending really is just the beginning, and I'm not sure I'll be the one telling the rest of the story._

 _Honestly, I'm half dreaming that someone better equipped to write will want to give this a shot and turn it into their own version (and hopefully show it to me). lol_

 _I'm envisioning sequels of Bonnie and Enzo (and baby) and the Mikaelsons. I'm envisioning one-shots about Stefan, Damon, and Caroline and Cole... little pieces filling in blanks left open by the greater narrative..._

 _A girl can dream, right? :)_

 _This, then, is it. I'd love to hear your opinion, your suggestions for making it better. Tell me where I went wrong and what worked for you. (As usual, if anyone without an account or not logged in comments with a question, I'm happy to reply through my profile page.)_

 _Above all, though, I hope you had a little fun with this, just like me._

 _Thank you all, but especially Jade and deenew for all the dedication and feedback that kept me going!_

* * *

 _..._

* * *

This is the end...

* * *

...

They were walking together, hand in hand, down the road, and over to the stables where Enzo and the other men could leave their horses for the night.

Once they had ridden into the settlement, the place had broken out in turmoil. People had come rushing out, afraid, but also ready to fight. Some had brandished weapons, daggers, even one or two firearms, but it had been obvious that they had seen themselves as having already lost. There had simply been too many Eternals.

But then Enzo had raised a hand, making the soldiers behind him stop, making the settlers look at him warily, and he had told them who he was, and what had happened.

"We're all free now," he had told them, "You are free."

Suddenly, a man had made his way up to the front of the group of settlers and had looked straight at Enzo, challenging, "And why would we believe you? You're his son, aren't you?" The man ran a hand through his hair, tilting his head to squint at Enzo against the fading sun. "It might just be a ruse. He knows this place spreads news. He's tried to eradicate us before, but we're protected as a neutral zone now."

Enzo had smiled tiredly. Bonnie had been holding his hand, staring at her feet, but when the man had spoken, she had suddenly heard something in there, something familiar - so far out here? - and she had looked up to see.

"Stefan?" Incredulity had made room for something else, a pang of a deeper pain, childhood memories. Could this really be Damon's little brother? The dorky little kid always on the periphery of her adventures? Always sitting somewhere, immersed in a book or magazine, always busy making notes.

He had grown up, then. It had startled her how different than his brother he looked, yet there had still been something of Damon's softer side visible in him.

He had frowned at her, almost as if it took him a minute to place her, then he'd whispered her name, just as bewildered as she had been before, and she had walked over to hug him.

Because out here, so remote from their old lives, the things they shared were the ones most important, the ones prevailing over what had kept them apart before.

They had talked. Just right there in the middle of the settlement, out in the open. She had vouched for Enzo. They had told Stefan about the cure. About their bigger plan.

And he had promised to write about it, without spilling their secret, without tipping anyone off to the fact that they'd be traveling across the territories to eradicate each and every single one of the sources out there.

But he'd tell the world that there was hope. That the war was on the verge of death. That peace was feasible.

That everyone would have to do their part.

While Bonnie and Enzo would do theirs.

But first…

* * *

...

They walked until they reached the boarding house, and Bonnie led a weary Enzo up a slightly winding staircase to a small bare room.

"Nothing like the one in Klaus' mansion, but it beats sleeping outside by a mile," she whispered, smiling, and gasped when he suddenly pulled her close before the door had completely swung shut, kissing her with unexpectedly passionate force.

"Enzo…" She chuckled, her voice sounding like she was chiding him, and he smirked at her, his features more lively than they had been out there.

Bonnie looked at him, her hands against his chest, feeling his heartbeat accelerate. She knew what he wanted - it was what she wanted, too - yet she felt like maybe they should wait, should talk about the profound change that was about to happen, had already begun, because of them…

 _Let's not. Please… please._

Their gazes met. She sighed. She could see it all, the hope and wonder, the pain and confusion. He had all those conflicting emotions about his father, the man's - presumed - death. It was too much to deal with at the moment so he had shoved it down, away, to tackle another time, another day.

Right now, he was filled with a desire for her, his need to be with her overriding everything else. Just like her own need.

She didn't nod, she didn't say anything. She just silently agreed, opening her coat, shrugging out of it, taking off her woolen sweater and the thin little top she had been wearing underneath. She shimmied out of her pants that only held together because of the hairband she had used, her waist too full now to fit comfortably. But she didn't care.

He smiled at her when he noticed it, half lost in some thought or other before he returned to her, placing a hand on her belly, spreading out his fingers. The baby was growing… soon, they would feel little kicks…

She was only wearing her cream colored bra and panties when she stopped to look at him, her eyes inviting him, beckoning him.

She saw his throat move as he swallowed, saw desire and arousal creep into his face, something akin to a flush on his pale complexion, but not quite.

She inclined her head, lower lip between her teeth. Then she moved to pull him closer. Unbuckling his belt, she leaned in to kiss him, his hand stilling her movement as he took over, taking off his pants so fast that she had to chuckle.

"Desperate much?" she breathed into his ear, then looked at him, seeing a mirthful flicker in his eyes.

"You have no idea, Bonnie Bennett, just _how_ desperate."

"Show me…"

She didn't have to tell him twice. Before she could even take another breath, he had already hoisted her up, carrying her over to the narrow bed, her legs slung around him tightly, and she threw her head back, suppressing a full blown chuckle.

"Not even the belly and extra weight can stop you, huh?"

"It only makes you even more irresistible, love."

He laid her down on the bed, her hands gripping his arms as he did, feeling his muscles flex. Her breath hitched as she saw how hard he was, how ready, but then he surprised her by kneeling down in front of her, her legs half dangling off the bed.

"What are you doing?" She gasped, but he merely looked at her, his stare so intense that her eyes widened. "You're going to make me cum in twenty seconds flat if you really go down on me right now, mister," she hissed, suddenly out of breath and she saw him smirk at her.

"Would that be so bad?"

She rolled her eyes as he didn't wait for an answer, just took her legs, placing them over his shoulders as he positioned himself oh so close to her core. She felt wide open, and a little awkward, but when his tongue flicked her labia, her folds the first time, like a tingle, she shivered and forgot everything. She merely laid back and enjoyed. The flicks and strokes. She clawed her hands into his hair, half caressing him, half egging him on, pushing him down when she wanted it harder. Shoving him when it was almost too much to bear, and he came up grinning, shaking his head.

It was too good. Too hot. She felt so much strange self confidence build up in her as he went on, circling her clit, stroking the sides, sucking it into his mouth, putting a finger, then two inside of her, gently but firmly opening her up even more. She wiggled and bucked, pushing herself off the bed and toward him when the rhythm had become just too good, too good… and she couldn't think and then…

She moaned out loudly, unable to stifle it, unable to even think anymore until his light happy chuckle reached her and his face appeared right beside her for a second before he came to lay right next to her, breathing in deeply.

She reached around awkwardly, her face flushed and with a happy sheepish grin, and she touched him, his cock still just as ready as before, if not more so, and she grabbed him there, hard, her eyes flickering at him as she rolled onto her side, telling him not to stop, telling him to fuck her, to come inside, because he needed to feel him, the shudder that went through his body when he came, the only thing that could make her forget the world for a bit as it centered right inside of her.

And when that moment came, so full of bliss and happiness, she truly did forget all their struggles, all the things past, all the things still lying ahead of them, and she just lived in that moment. With him.

* * *

…

* * *

...

"I don't even know where to start!" Caroline looked exasperated, glancing from a pile of papers back to Bonnie and Enzo.

"It doesn't matter, love. Just pick one." Klaus had been sitting behind her on an uncomfortable looking stool that she clearly had assigned him as his, and for some strange reason he hadn't complained. Bonnie suspected he had a bit of a crush on Care, and she had to smile. No way he'd ever have a chance with Cole in the picture.

Then again, Klaus never took no for an answer…

She sighed, concentrating back on their task. She was here to give over her responsibility to the other woman because the baby was due any day now and despite her meek halfhearted protests, Enzo had told her it was alright to go on a break now and let somebody else deal with this.

This… this was the pile of applications from people who wanted the procedure done to rid them of the Eternal scar.

She shook her head, still, after all these months, mindboggled by how far they had come, how much they had streamlined the process following the first few haphazardly executed procedures.

They had made themselves a home in the settlement, and that, too, seemed like a crazy stupid idea, even now. So close to the first destroyed mining site, in Silveren territory, in a neutral town.

Funnily enough it had been Stefan who had persuaded her - and them - that it was the right decision. He had told them a bit about his life there, about how he and the others had tried to make change happen by keeping the masses informed.

Publishing a newspaper - being linked to any kind of news outlet - could be dangerous in times like that, but he had taken it upon himself to "play the booksmart background hero" as he'd called it, and fight the fight from his desk.

His had been as good of a settlement - as good of a potential place to stay - as any. But since there were already people actively involved in ending the war there, they had decided to join them. Work from there.

Stefan had had tears in his eyes when she had told him. He had been so strangely happy to see that things were really changing, that he'd be there to witness it all, to bring the knowledge out into the world. But Bonnie had seen through his emotions, had known there was something deeper behind them.

And then he'd told her. He had gotten news himself just a day before, news from the Golden lands that he had shared with a devastated Bonnie.

Damon… was gone. Elena was gone. Nothing more. It was suspected that it could have been suicide, but Bonnie didn't want to believe that, neither did Stefan. They had agreed on blaming the Golden military for probably executing one of them, thus killing the other. The one unanswered question was only: who had died first?

They would probably never know; and it didn't matter. Her one consolation - that she shared with Stefan - was knowing that Damon had died a free man, free of everything that had weighed him down. He had died with a bit of peace of mind.

Bonnie wasn't ready just yet, not when her baby wasn't even born yet, not when there was still so much work to be done with the remaining Eternal sources and soldiers and weapons, but... she knew the day would have to come where she - where they - tackled the problem of the bonds. But not today...

 _Are you okay, love?_

Bonnie was jolted out of her dark thoughts when she heard him, saw him look down to where she sat while he still stood, a hand lightly stroking her hair. She sighed deeply, trying to smile for him.

 _I'm sorry, I must have spaced out there for a moment._

He didn't question her, and she was grateful for that. She didn't want to share where her thoughts had brought her, Damon's death still a tough subject for her to talk about, and she was glad that he understood.

But how could he not. He had a similar… problem, still shuttering himself off whenever they mentioned his father. She knew he wasn't allowing himself to grieve the man - or rather, grieve the father he had never had but always longed for. She knew he had a hard time dealing with being responsible for his death and that of a two digit number of his staff, the council. More numbers to add to his kill list - yet another off limits topic that he rarely allowed to surface.

It had all broken out of him right after it had happened, just two nights later. He had been too exhausted from dealing with the lost Eternals that Klaus was slowly turning back into "normal" people, too exhausted from being questioned daily by the settlers, by Caroline, too exhausted by riding out again to look for survivors and check on the state of the Eternal source, and all that when his body still wasn't healed at all.

When she had finally persuaded him to get some rest, after two nights with little to none, he had glared at her unhappily, but finally succumbed, laying down on the bed, fully clothed, only to fall asleep within seconds of resting his head on the pillow.

She had found herself dozing off where she had lain down beside him, holding him, only to be woken up when a storm of images and emotions had flooded over to her side.

His barriers had been down, and so had hers, both their minds melting into one for a few scary and intense moments, and Bonnie had caught a glimpse of what life might have been like had their bond been more like the ones she had learned about all those months ago in Preparation.

She had seen the man that had slaughtered her parents again, she had seen Damon smile and wink at her, she had felt love for herself - but that wasn't her feeling, it was Enzo's, so deep, so fierce, so... scary, strong and overwhelming. She had seen his father, too close, she had felt so much terrible pain. She had felt torture, and the gunshot to her side, and the baby the baby the baby.

She had felt her fingernails being torn out under the porch, but that hadn't happened - didn't belong together like that. She had felt the sting where she had bitten herself.

She saw her grams.

Her parents.

Her friends.

Her home.

Their blood.

Enzo's blood. The… _thing_ that cut into his arm.

The man that he hated hated hated so much, and why couldn't he have loved him. Why couldn't anyone ever just-

 _I love you, Enzo. I love you I love you I love you. Come back to me. Come back. It's over. It's us. From now on it'll only ever be us…_

He had woken up with a gasp, panic in his face that quickly dissipated when his eyes fell on her. She had cupped his face, smiling at him, banning the images, warding her mind, and she had told him again, "I love you," as he had finally allowed himself to cry in the safety of her embrace, the one place - the one person where he found peace, where his pain left him.

And he had cried in her arms until they both didn't have any tears left. Until they both fell back asleep from the emotional exhaustion.

To finally wake up to a new day; to a sense of calm, and hope.

* * *

…

It had only gotten better from then on out. While Bonnie didn't like it when Enzo left with Klaus to start hunting down all the other sources, while she didn't like how he was sometimes gone for weeks doing so, she understood why it had to happen, and why it couldn't wait.

And he was always coming back to her.

Klaus had taught a few people to do the procedure, one of them being Jo, and Bonnie was glad when the woman decided to relocate to their settlement, "to be of help where it's needed," she had explained, with a wink at Bonnie that had made her suspect that she hadn't actually meant dealing with the weary Eternals.

But Bonnie didn't mind that, either. She was just glad that someone would be there for when the baby finally came. She was just a little worried Enzo wouldn't be…

…

She needn't have worried, however. When baby Hope finally made her much anticipated appearance, Enzo was right by her side…

He had just been back from another long trip, they had been starved for some serious skin on skin. They hadn't been able to hold back at all, though her stomach had been large by then and she had been kneeling on the bed with him standing behind her in order to fuck. But it had been glorious, his hand dipping inside of her from the front, while he had moved in and out of her from the back, gentle and mindful, and when he had come before she was there, he had quickly pulled himself together to make her get there too, and the minute she had come, she had felt a shiver go through her body and the baby had bumped her as if in reply, and they had joked that maybe this would be the last time they'd have sex until the baby was there because now it truly was a little awkward.

And not two hours later she had found herself in labor, pacing up and down in their new and only half-ready house and she had told him that it might be time to go get Jo already after all.

It had been a tough 20 or so hours in which Enzo had offered to share her pain, reminding her repeatedly that with the Old bandage he was better equipped to do so, that he really wanted to just help her for once, and she had finally succumbed and let him, her barriers breaking away under the strain, flooding his brain with more than just pain, and she had almost lost grasp of his hand when he had struggled to come up on top.

But in the end, they had made it. Together. And all the pain had been over and gone - though far from forgotten (never completely forgotten) - and she'd held their little girl in her arms, Enzo smiling down on them both, all of them so very exhausted, but for the first time, Bonnie had truly felt like they had arrived.

That the worst _was_ over.

That it was time for bliss to start.

And then... it did.

* * *

…

* * *

This story's old but it goes on and on until we disappear.

 _Brand New, Play Crack the Sky._

* * *

And I'm nothing more than a line in your book.

 _Funeral for a Friend. Juneau_


End file.
